Bound by a Dream
by Lancariel
Summary: Nenya thought that a dream she had was nothing but a phantom of a perfect man. When their paths cross in the real world she truly believes that she has found her soulmate. But will it last? What darkness lies ahead in their future? AU
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is my first try to write a fanfic and English is not my spoken language, so please be gentle if you leave a comment :-)_

The lands of Eriados had been plagued with war.

A mighty warlord from Moridoria in the north had with his giant army taking over land like wildfire. Their goal were to reclaim Rohland and its capital Ereiabor from the Dormorians in the south, lost since almost two centuries.  
It had taken them a long time to recover from their big losses back then, but now they were stronger than ever. Any resistance had quickly been defeated. Not even the strongly protected Ereiabor had had any chance against the fearless warriors.

Their king and leader, Thorin the Deathless, seemed invincible, described as a furious demon in gold and black when riding his horse in front of the troops on the battlefield. In close combat nothing and no one could even get close enough to touch him. He was the grandson of the King who had been banished from Rohland all those years ago.

Rumors had told that Thorin was extremely handsome, and women almost always fell for him if they had had the opportunity to see him. But gossip had also stated that he was moody and very easily enraged, many of his men didn't even dare to address him face to face.

* * *

 _Three years earlier_

Nenya had been woken up by the first rays of the sun that shone through her small window. She did not want to open her eyes, not yet, just stay in the moment and enjoy the emotions that flowed throughout her body. Joy and happiness; free and alive; and the most prominent ones - feeling loved and at home - filled her and made her heart swell with delight. The last two she had longed to feel, but her father never showed her anything close to that.

Azrim, her father, had always been grim and harsh towards her. The few emotions, except insensitive and cold, only surfaced when he was really drunk and thought that no one could see them.

But she had seen them - once.

* * *

She had been loved at the beginning.

Her parents, a lord and lady in Ereiabor whose descendants came from Dormoria, had awaited her arrival with joy and anticipation; it had taken them many years to conceive their first child.  
Everything seemed to proceed just fine and Nenya's mother Marida had that specific glow to her that the lucky pregnant women had. It had been heavy in the end for her, of course, late pregnancy almost always takes it's toll on the body. But even that could not take away the happiness the couple shared.

During a prolonged labour something happened that changed everything - Nenya's mother died.  
Filled with grief Nenya's father Azrim had pushed his daughter away. She reminded him too much of her mother, who was his "one," and he couldn't be near Nenya without falling apart. He had left the caretaking of his daughter to different wet nurses and neighbours in the beginning.

Nenya had her mother's big green eyes. They shone like the fresh young leaves on an oak tree sparkling in the first beams of the spring sun. With her short and golden curls, that stood up like the petals on a white mum flower, she melted the hearts of many people.  
But not the person she should have gotten attention - her father.

To even stand to live in the same halls as his daughter he took to the bottle, hoping to dull the pain and his misery. But the only thing that led to was more drinking. Azrim had begun to slowly fade away, only leaving a dead shell of the man he used to be - showing no emotions at all.

A loud bang in the middle of the night had echoed throughout the chambers, followed by the sound of glass breaking. The noise had woken up Nenya and she had carefully went to see what was going on.  
On her way to the source of the noise she heard more banging, and someone crying. In the dim light of the parlor she could see her father. He stood on his knees in the middle of the room with his face in his hands. He was crying; rambling something about 'missing you' and 'why you and not him.'  
Without thinking, Nenya had moved towards him and put her hand on the shoulder of the sobbing body of her father. He had looked up at her and she could see the devastation shining in his eyes.

He was drunk, really drunk. Around them it looked like a storm had passed through. But she did not notice that, just the pained expression of grief in her father's eyes. Although Azrim had never showed her any love, he was her father. And somewhere inside she still held some affection towards him. At that moment she even felt pity for him, seeing the sorrow he felt sitting on the floor in the big room.

"I miss her so much, it's tearing me apart. And you remind me of her, every day, I can't stand it!" her father said with a sad smile on his lips.  
Nenya didn't know what to say, this was a side she had never seen before. So far from the stone-like figure that she was used to.

Azrim's blue eyes suddenly started to change in front of her, taking on the usual emotionless look and a hard glare. He took her hand from his shoulder and squeezed it hard, hurting her.  
"Leave me. Go to your room and stay there until I allow you to come out," he said in a cold voice.

Nenya ran back to her room in tears. Her hand hurt and she felt like she had been hit in the chest with the hilt of a sword. The rest of that night she did not sleep at all, she just stared at the ceiling trying to understand what had happened.

The morning after everything had been as it used to be, and she never saw that side of her father again.

* * *

Even though the thoughts of that moment lingered in her mind, they could not take away the feelings she now had, waking up from that wonderful dream. She wanted to etch them in her memory and savor them forever. The images of that perfect moment in time began to form inside her once more.

 _She had felt light as a feather, as she saw the big green field form in front of her eyes. Her feet did not touch the ground, she was flying. Higher and higher she rose, and the sun's rays warmed her body. Joy was all around her and she felt happier than ever before. She wanted to stay here forever.  
_ _In the distance she could hear the sound of birds tweeting, their song made her feel even more elated.  
_ _She did not care about anything, every thought she had was affected by the jubilant atmosphere._

 _Starting to descend she saw the green meadow coming closer. As she was soaring along the grass and flowers she felt content; the sweet smell of wild flowers seducing her senses.  
_ _Laughing she went faster, excited and full of life, twirling and spinning like a leaf playing in the wind while her hair floated around her like liquid gold._

 _She landed on a slope and felt the soft green grass under her feet as she started walking towards the summit. As she reached the top of the hill she saw him standing there, looking out over the field beyond the hilltop. His hair shone in the sunlight and the wind played with the dark locks streaked with silver.  
_ _She knew who it was, she felt it in her body and soul. That wonderful feeling of devotion towards another person. Smiling she started to walk faster. And then he turned around - and her heart skipped a beat._

 _She started running towards him, faster and faster. He smiled at her, a beautiful smile, hiding in his short beard, and it made her heart beat faster. His wonderful blue eyes glittered with love, for her._

 _The next second she was in his arms. She felt the heat of his body against hers; the smell of his skin all around her; and the sound of his beating heart._ _She felt at home, as if it were where she was supposed to be._ _Her body wanted more of him, his body heat and smell was not enough. Not even the strong arms around her seemed to meet the needs that had started to grow inside her._ _She wanted to feel his lips on hers, his strong hands on her body. She needed him more than she had ever needed anyone before.  
_ _His arms slowly released their grip on her and she lifted her face towards his. Lost in his dazzling icy-blue eyes she heard him say:_

" _You are mine and I am yours - forever."_

And in that moment, she had woken up.

* * *

A few years later, after the Moridorians had reclaimed Ereiabor, her father had introduced her to someone. It was a former general in king Thorin's army, lord Dorami, and Azrim told her that he was to be her husband.  
Azrim had kept it a secret from Nenya, knowing she would never accept the joining, fearing the the wrath of the king if he had refused.  
Nenya had been devastated, begging her father to reconsider. But he had just given her a cold glare back, the same as he always had given her when she just had to follow his decisions.

With her life torn apart she had been taken away to start her new life - at Dorami's side.


	2. Chapter 2

When Nenya finally managed to escape the room, it was in the middle of the night. Her future husband guarded her as if she was a prized diamond; and he had two guards placed outside her door at all times. He had said that the reason was to protect her, but she knew better. At the first possible moment she would try to escape, he just had to let his guard down and she would take the chance. She would never have agreed to be his wife, but the choice was not hers to make, and he knew it.  
At least he hadn't forced himself on her, yet. He wanted to save it for their wedding night. But it hadn't stopped him from touching her; forcefully kissing her; and making her walk around in dresses that did not leave much to the imagination. She felt nausea rising just thinking about his sweaty hands on her breasts and wet sloppy kisses on her mouth, neck and hands. And the ever present smell of alcohol that surrounded him, reminding her about the one who was responsible for her being here - her father.

She had taken her chance to leave this nightmare when she had noticed that the guards outside of her room had fallen asleep, probably because of all the wine that was served to celebrate the nearing wedding day. And fortunately the door had remained unlocked after the loathsome lord's last visit.

Quickly she had put her long golden locks in a braid and placed it under the hood of a large dark cape. Thankfully it also hid her see through nightgown, and now there was less chance a passer by would notice her right away. She let her feet slide into a pair of soft slippers to avoid making any noise on her way out. The last thing she did was to look back at the flowers in her room. They were the only thing Dorami had allowed her to bring when she moved here. Her favorite flowers, vanilla orchids, that she had had for many years. Now she had to leave them behind.

Moving out of her room she did not think of how the rest of the way would go with only slippers on her feet. The only thing on her mind was to get away from the obnoxious redhaired man. He was probably drunk and asleep, no doubt dreaming of her.

As fast as she could, staying close to the walls, she snuck through the next rooms trying to remember which one was the way out. The few torches that burned on the walls did not make things any easier for her.  
She constantly tripped over edges of carpets and furniture standing in her way. But the dusky light was also welcome because it made her blend in better.  
Opening a big door, she finally found herself standing in a larger corridor, trying to decide which way to turn.  
To the left, the hallway passed by a staircase that went upwards, followed by some sort of a lounge. She couldn't see much further, just the flickering of lights on the stone walls.  
On the right she could not see anything, just thick darkness. Anything could be hiding in the shadows and it would be risky to take that way.

Before she could make up her mind a door suddenly opened on her right; and a woman dressed in her nightclothes appeared and turned in front of her. She almost knocked Nenya over before she saw her. In the split second they had eye contact, Nenya recognised the woman as one of lord Dorami's servants.  
Nenya felt her heart beat faster.  
She did the only thing she could do at that moment - she ran.

She went left and up the stairs. It felt safer. She could hear the woman behind her cursing and screaming for her to stop. Panic spread through Nenya's body; and her heart was beating so hard she thought it might pop out of her chest.  
If she would have had the time to stop and look she should have noticed the richly gold ornate banisters and the black marble on the steps of the stairs, not quite like the rooms she had been held captive in. There everything had just been covered in gold and precious gems to display Dorami's obsession for beautiful things. That obsession was also the reason he had wanted her.  
But she just saw that the steps were leading away from where she came from.

At the top of the stairs there was another corridor. This one was well lit so she did not have to be afraid of tripping or running into someone by accident.  
The tapestries on the walls was heavily embroidered with gold on blue background, but she did not pay much attention to it, just the big red door at the end of the hallway.  
A dead end!  
What was she going to do?  
And then she heard the voice…  
"This way, I saw her running this way! She couldn't have gotten very far!" The voice of the woman down the stairs echoed through the rooms; and Nenya could hear the sound of armored guards getting closer.

There was no way to get past them unnoticed. Her only hope was that the door in front of her was open; and she could hide in there or find another way out on the other side. Her other choice was to give up, but that was not an option for her.  
She reached towards the golden handle. It felt cold in her hand.  
A gentle push down and a light thrust of her shoulder - and the door opened with a quiet creak, just enough of a gap for her to slip in through.  
On the other side there was almost no light, and it was hard to see anything at all. She began to search for something to lock the door with and found a key protruding just a bit below the door handle. She turned it and felt relief, hearing the clicking sound of the lock sliding into place.  
Exhaling she took a step back. She was safe for the moment.

"May I ask what you are doing here?" a grumpy male voice came from behind her. Shocked she froze on the spot.  
That voice… how could it be...

Even though she had been certain that one time, that it was nothing but her imagination - she hadn't forgotten the sound of it.  
In no time she was flooded with the memories of the dream she had had a few years ago, before she even knew that she would end up in this place.

The man in the field, the long dark brown hair streaked with silver flowing in the light breeze, standing with his back to her. Turning, looking at her with icy blue eyes glittering in the sunlight showing nothing but love in them and a bright smile that sent shivers throughout her body... His warm body enveloping her in a tight embrace... The scent of his skin blended with smoke, leather and just a hint of tobacco.

She was afraid to turn around - and to discover a complete stranger; and to have the image of the man in the dream shattered to pieces.  
But as she heard heavy footsteps coming closer she knew she had to face this man, whoever he was, so she turned around and hoped for the best.  
Why wasn't she scared of him? This man could at any time open the door and reveal her presence in his rooms. Still she knew he would not. Something made her trust the man standing before her, feeling the tension in her chest release its grip. A tingling sensation in her body started growing in his vicinity. Nenya felt goosebumps spreading on her skin and her legs felt unstable. A spark bursts into flames in her lower abdomen burning brighter for every second - she could hardly breathe.

Lost in her own thoughts she didn't notice the hand reaching for her jawline, and the impact sent small shockwaves through her body when he touched her.

The hand on her jaw resolutely, but in an ever so tender way, lifted her face.  
She closed her eyes when he lifted the hood, afraid of getting her dreams crushed and end up in the same horrible situation she tried to get away from - if not even worse.

As she felt him remove the hood she heard him draw in a sharp breath and stop the motion in mid air.  
"Who are you?" The tone was different from the commanding tone it had the first time. This time his voice was filled with surprise and shock.  
"Nenya," she heard her own voice. It didn't sound like her, though. It sounded surreal, almost like there was somebody else that talked.  
As he was still softly cupping her jaw she felt the warmth from his hand burning her skin.  
"Open your eyes, Nenya." The resolute imperative tone was back, but the sharpness it had had before was gone. She forced herself to open her eyes - just to have a pair of icy-blue eyes look back at her. The irises were almost azure and had a golden tint to them from the torchlight on the wall.  
She saw a storm of emotions play in them. Recognition, surprise, tenderness, and a glint of something she couldn't put her finger on. Was it fondness…or even love?  
She had to close her eyes for a second to collect her thoughts.  
It really was him, the man from her dream!

Everything she remembered about him was there - the blue tunic, dark trousers, his dark hair streaked with silver, a short beard around the lips she had wanted to feel against hers for what felt like an eternity. And those blue eyes...how she loved the sparkling of emotions flourish in them when he had turned around in that field and looked at her.  
How was this possible? Him being here, just beside her, his scent all around her once more, making her dizzy?  
So many questions, so little time! But she needed the answer to at least one. Lifting her eyes towards his again she asked, "Who are you - and why do I feel like I know you?  
"Thorin. And to your other question I have no answer. All I can say is that I share the same feeling".  
Letting go of her jaw but instead taking her hand in his, he led her into the adjoining room. It was illuminated by flames burning in the fireplace giving everything a golden tinge.

At the far end there was a large desk covered in different books and documents. Beside a pitcher there was a glass of wine, and a carelessly tossed quill laid in front of the well used chair behind the bench.  
Further on to the right there were two doors no doubt leading to at least a bedroom and maybe a bathroom, she couldn't know as they were both closed. The two big windows, that dominated the wall beside the desk, didn't show more than a few bright stars shining through the multi colored glass mosaic in the shape of a flock of ravens spreading their wings taking off towards the sky.  
He led her across a carpet covered floor to a couch. He seated her on the big soft cushions, and sat by a low table in front of it.  
For a moment they just sat there, quietly observing each other, him stroking his big fingers over her small hand that sent more goosebumps over her skin.  
She felt whole just being around him. In all of her life she had never felt like this near any other - not even that time in her youth when one of the neighbouring boys made her blush, giving her a kiss. It had felt like walking on clouds and she had had butterflies in her stomach for a week, until her father found out and forbade the boy to be near Nenya again.

"Why did you think you needed to hide, Nenya?"  
She didn't have a good answer to that, not without putting him in danger later.  
Dorami had said to her that he would kill whoever dared to touch her without his permission. Knowing Dorami was one of the King's counselors, she had feared that the King would be on Dorami's side if something were to happen. And the rumors surrounding the King, telling of a fierce and angry "demon like" man, did not make things better.  
Although Thorin shared the same name as the Kin, she didn't put two and two together. She hadn't met the King and could only go on what she had heard the servants gossiping about. Her image of the King was an older man, him being more than twice her age. He was said to have really bad temper, was cruel and hard, and never displayed any positive emotions towards anyone. The Thorin before her showed her tenderness and softness that she had never seen in a man before.

What could she say without revealing too much, but still give him a proper answer? She wanted to tell him everything, she really did. But she would never be able to live with herself if she knew that she was the one responsible for his death.  
"I have escaped from something that I had no say in and don't want any part of," was the best answer she could come up with at the moment. "But if that's what had to happen for me to see that you actually exist, and that you are not just a figment of my imagination, it was all worth it," she finished.  
"Would you feel strange if I said that I've seen you in a dream?" he suddenly said in an inquisitive tone, still looking into her eyes.  
"... in a big field in the sunlight..." she continued, and saw him raise an eyebrow and wrinkling his forehead in a thoughtful and astonished way as if she just had taken the words out of his mouth.  
Could it be true? That the same dream had shown itself for him too?  
Would she dare to kiss him? They were alone and she longed to feel his lips on hers - thinking it could be the only time she would. But did he want it as much as her?

* * *

"How..." was just what he had time to say before he felt her lips on his.  
It was a careful and soft kiss, as if she was afraid to scare him off, and he enjoyed every moment of it. He could sense the light smell of vanilla coming from her, the same he remembered from before - in the dream. He had woken up the next morning with the scent still surrounding him.

At that moment he realized that it was her, the girl in his dream!  
She was just as beautiful as then in the sunlight with her long golden hair swirling like liquid gold behind her running towards him.  
As he ended the kiss he looked into her big green eyes and saw them reflect every emotion that he felt flowing through his body; he would never let her go now that she was actually here in his arms.  
The strong emotions affecting his mind and body scared him.

How could this be? Was this how it felt meeting your "one" for the first time?  
He wanted her in his arms forever.  
Many women had tried to make him feel this way for them throughout the years but they never succeeded.  
While he was still lost in his own thoughts, she looked down  
"I have to find a way out of here before they realize that this is the only place left to look in. Even though all I want is to forever be in your arms, I can't," she whispered and raised a tear streaked face that almost broke his heart.  
"No! You are staying here with me! I will protect you against anything you have to face." Whatever trouble she was in, he would take care of it!  
"No you can't… Nobody can..." She rose from the couch. She didn't take her hand away, though, and he did not want her to.  
"You don't know that!" Thorin exclaimed "You don't even know who I am and what I can do for you! How can you be so sure that nobody can help you?"  
"Because I know… He will see to it..." she answered. "You are safer without me, and even if I never see you again I can still dream about this moment, hoping that I might see you again," she continued.  
Tears kept running down her cheeks.  
"Nenya, I am..." Rising from the table, he stopped mid sentence, interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.  
She jumped startled, and he saw panic in her eyes.  
He walked to one of the doors in the room pulling her gently with him. He opened the door and said in a low voice while pushing her inside, "I will help you. Just trust me, I'll be right back".  
He kissed her softly again, letting his fingers run through her soft hair, then quickly closed the door after one final look into her amazing green eyes.

Feeling the anger rise in him, he moved towards the door. Not hiding his annoyance he opened the door with a cold glare and with every intention to get rid of whoever was outside quickly.

In the hallway he saw four of his guards. The one closest to the door bowed deeply.  
"And what is the purpose of this intrusion?" he asked the nearest guard.  
"I'm so sorry to disturb you, my lord, but we are looking for a lost girl and were wondering if you might have heard or seen anything?"

"This girl must be most talented if she managed to slip through a locked door and into my chambers, don't you think?" Thorin answered in a voice filled with calm rage that had the guards almost tremble in fear in the corridor. "And what has she done to have four armored guards searching for her?  
"She is lord Dorami's betrothed, my lord, and she seems to have gone astray," the guard that spoke couldn't even look Thorin in the eyes anymore, probably so afraid of the fact that he had awakened the King in the middle of the night.  
"Well, she isn't here, so why are you still?" Thorin said.  
There was no answer just another quick bow, and the guards almost tripping over each other trying to get away as fast as possible from the wrathful king.

As he closed the door he realized it, why Nenya was terrified of telling him anything at all of what had happened to her. She must have thought that since Dorami was of high stature, he would have the King's support. Lord Dorami had been a good general on their way here. He had fought well on the battlefield and had helped Thorin draw up cunning battle plans. Thorin thought that he could trust Dorami, so he made him one of his counselors.  
Thorin had heard rumors that Dorami harassed his servants, beating them when it suited him even if they hadn't done anything wrong. Someone had mentioned that the lord had assaulted a maid - who had mysteriously disappeared soon after.  
Thinking of them as just gossip, from people that didn't like the sometimes creepy and weird lord, Thorin had ignored them.  
He remembered hearing something about Dorami bragging about a beautiful Dormorian girl he had found when they took over Ereiabor. How he had forced her father to give her away to be Dorami's wife. To avoid anyone seeing her he had taken her to his chambers at night, holding her locked up in a guarded room.  
Thorin had felt pity for the young girl in Dorami's hands, but hadn't done anything about it, she was after all just a surviving Dormorian.  
Now, when he knew who she was, he would never let Dorami have her back.

Anger flared in him. What had Dorami done to Nenya that made her so afraid of him? Had it been the lord himself outside of these doors Dorami might not have walked away alive if he had said the wrong things.  
Thorin closed the door so hard that the draft from it blew down a painting from the wall. He cursed the fact that he hadn't told Nenya who he was from the beginning, then maybe she wouldn't be afraid right now.  
As he reached the door to the room he left Nenya in, he felt eager and elated, he hadn't experienced those emotions for a long time. Not even when he first entered Ereiabor after the retaking could compete with it.  
"I know everything now, Nenya. He will never touch you again," he said as he opened the door to the bedroom, only to discover an empty room with a slight smell of vanilla as the only proof of her ever being there.  
"Nenya, why didn't you trust me and stay?" he whispered into the darkness in a devastated voice.

* * *

After the kiss in the doorway they shared a brief moment of eye contact, and the next moment she was alone in an almost dark room behind a closed door. She could make out the shapes of a bed in the dim light from the one torch that hanged on the wall.  
What was she to do now? She heard Thorin speak with someone in an angry voice, barely keeping it calm. Were they here for her? Would he be able to make them leave?  
Then she saw it, the door on the other side of the room. Maybe it was a way out? She had to at least check what was on the other side.

As she opened the door she saw a staircase and felt hope rising. Without a second thought she started running down the stairs.  
They ended at another door. This one was locked when she tried to open it.  
She could not see a keyhole anywhere and she started to lose what little hope she had. Was this the end? Were her chance to escape gone now?  
And then she realized, it must be one of those hidden doors, which no one could see from the outside if they did not know that it was there.  
She started to search on the sides for the opening mechanism, and her heart jumped a little when she found the lever on the left side.  
Pressing it down she saw the door open, and a streak of moonlight fell through the crack. She had made it!

She felt the wind blow in her face as she ran across the big field in the darkness of the night. Her eyes stung from all the salty tears drying, and she could feel the coldness of the breeze on her swollen cheeks. Before sunrise she would like to put as much distance between her and the mountain as possible, even though every step took her further away from Thorin.  
She stopped and turned around one last time to look at the place that both had been her prison and yet held the one she would never have left having a choice.  
"No other man will ever have my heart," she whispered in the breeze before she started running again.  
Further and further away her feet carried her; her dreams of happiness crushed and blown away by the wind.


	3. Chapter 3

Nenya traveled south to Gonroth, the country bordering Rohland. Her destination was Rivnadahl, the capital of the wealthy land stretching its coast along the Sea of Rinkaia. She had heard of their hospitality and kindness and hoped that she would be safe there.  
No one knew her there, and it would be harder for Dorami, with the help of the King's men, to track her down if she did not stay nearby.  
Although the climate got warmer the further south she went, she couldn't travel in her nightgown and slippers forever. What few coins she collected through begging in small villages helped her to buy some clothes and shoes along the way.  
Food was scarce though, but she kept moving anyway, the feeling of loss dulled the hunger.  
She tried to blend in, and most of the time it worked fine.  
She was a little shorter than others her age, and when clad in her dark cape nobody seemed to even see her. Only a few curious people studied her, at a distance, probably wondering who she was.  
The best, and worst in a way, were the times when she was alone on the road. No worries about somebody recognizing her, but the loneliness she felt grew. Under the dark skies at night her memories were even more prominent, and the only thing she had to occupy herself with was thinking of Thorin. She felt so lost and alone, and the thought of giving up crossed her mind more than a few times. But the memory of Thorin, and the hope of meeting him again, made her endure.

It had taken Nenya more than a month to reach the shores along the Sea of Rinkaia, but finally she saw the mountains of Rivnadahl towering against the flat sea surface. It was small for being a capital, but big enough for her.  
She search for employment at a place where she wouldn't be alone, or just one of a few servants, it would make it easier to disappear if she needed to.  
Lord Maral, the ruler of Gonroth, welcomed her to his household. He was always willing to help if he could, a maid more or less was nothing to fuss about, and he didn't even care when she was silent about her past.

Nenya never tried to make any friends, the fear of them asking questions that she didn't want to answer made it impossible. It was sometimes hard not to have someone to talk to, yet she didn't dare to take the risk. And when the other servants had their small conversations throughout the day and Nenya was spoken to, she just answered politely, sharing as little and being as possible.

For the next months Nenya had cleaned, washed, cooked and served - never complaining about anything.  
She had spent time with lord Maral's wife, helping her with their newborn baby boy. At one of those occasions she had heard the lady sing to her infant. A beautiful lullaby that hit Nenya right in the heart, making her realize that she might never experience the feeling of having a child of her own. She had been devastated, and with tear filled eyes she had asked to be excused from her duties for the day. The lady, who was always kind and caring towards Nenya, had wondered what the problem was. But Nenya hadn't been able to answer - tears were already running down her cheeks at that point. She desperately needed to be alone before she broke down in front of lord Maral's wife - knowing that she would not be able to keep quiet about her longing and heartbreak.  
When Nenya had been dismissed she spent the rest of the day in her room - alone - feeling totally crushed, blaming herself for her misery.

Although the months past by, Nenya's image of Thorin did not fade. Every time she saw a dark haired man, she thought about him. His blue eyes haunted her in her dreams and she often woke up crying. Was this how her life would be? Work and no happiness at all? To regret not taking the chance when she had a possibility in front of her?  
Her only hope was that someday, somehow she would meet Thorin again. Even though it was so improbable, she held onto that and prayed for it to come true.

What Nenya did not know was that that day would come - soon - and turn her whole world around.

* * *

That day started as every other day. Nenya got out of bed, washed up, put her clothes on and made her way down the stairs to the kitchen as she always did.  
But this morning it was chaos in the kitchen. Everybody ran around nervously and tried to do as many things as possible in the shortest amount of time.  
Nenya just stood in the doorway and looked upon the large number of servants, some she did not even recognize. The loud murmur of voices blended together made no sense to her, she had to find out what was going on.

"The new king of Rohland is coming to discuss a peace treaty and new trading routes with lord Maral today," a stressed out maid, whom Nenya had asked, answered.  
"And we have so much to do before the arrival. Hurry now and start cutting the vegetables, then help clean the sleeping quarters," she continued, and Nenya could see that the maid feared the king's arrival. Her eyes displayed the same feelings that started to form inside Nenya - anxiety and dread.  
It was obvious that the new King needed to establish good relation with lord Maral if he wanted to build up Rohland again. And since the his own land did not have any connection to the Sea of Rinkaia, he needed to negotiate. His other option was to start another war, but that seemed to be an unnecessary risk to take, he already had what he wanted - Rohland.  
She felt her heart beating faster. With so much to do she couldn't just vanish, she had responsibilities and did not want to risk her place here. Not when the lord even had sent for extra help.

Nervously Nenya sliced the carrots, leeks and potatoes, ignoring the stinging feeling in her eyes from tears forming of fear. Her hands started to shake and she was barely able to push aside the urge to run. Would Dorami be in the entourage following the king? Or anyone else that might know who she was? Fumbling with the last carrot she felt terrified.  
As she left the kitchen she had to take a few seconds to calm down. Hidden behind the closed door to the pantry she let the tears run down her cheeks. She made herself take long deep breaths, trying to control the panic that was spreading fast inside of her. What was she to do? Abandon everything here, not knowing if they still searched for her? No, she could not do that. Not before she knew that she had to. And somewhere inside her a little spec of hope was growing - maybe Thorin was coming too?  
While drying her tears with the back of her hands she straightened up and opened the door. Her heart was still beating frantically, but she tried to ignore it, as she walked towards the rooms that had to be prepared for the visitors.

It had taken a while to clean the amount of rooms needed. Every little spec of dust had to be removed and the linens changed, they didn't want King Thorin to have anything to lose his temper over.  
All the other maids had talked about finally getting the chance to see if he was as handsome as the rumors had told. They also hoped that maybe the gossip about him being mean and easily enraged was a bit exaggerated.  
Nenya just stayed silent, scared to be discovered and returned to Dorami.  
When she at last had the opportunity to leave the guestrooms the King had already arrived.

As Nenya again made her way down to the kitchen, to help start the serving of dinner, she let her mind wander to the memories of Thorin. The months that had passed seemed like an eternity; but she could still feel his lips on hers; the soft caress of his hand in her hair; and his eyes, those beautiful blue irises - they had shown her more than he had had time to say. Her body reacted immediately, she did not know what to do - she missed him so much! It felt like her heart broke all over again, shattered to pieces.  
She managed to skip the dinner serving, faking nausea, and hid in her room for the rest of the night crying into her pillow.

In the morning nothing was better. Nenya still felt as if somebody had ripped her heart out. Forcing herself to get out of bed she looked in the mirror. Her bright green eyes looked sad, as they always did nowadays. It could disappear sometimes, when she worked hard and had other things on her mind, but they never showed any joy. The long golden locks, that she always covered with a scarf when she weren't in her room, still shone like gold. She had not changed much by appearance, but she felt old and lifeless.  
She brushed her hair and made a braid of it, put it under the cloth and walked out the door.

The kitchen was filled with activity this morning too as they prepared breakfast. Nenya could not get away from service this time. The maids that had taken care of the dinner service last night had gotten a brief time of before lunchtime, and Nenya had to help take the first meal of the day out to the guest in the dining area.  
She did not want to, but she had to.

As Nenya carried the tray with bread into the salon she did not look up, maybe no one would notice her. Her steps were heavy and the walls of the room seemed to close-in on her for every one she took. She felt out of breath and her heart banged hard in her chest - everything seemed to go in slow-motion.  
Her hands shook slightly and she felt the tray clung to her sweaty palms.  
As she got closer the table a funny feeling emerged, pushing away the fear and the clouds that had nested themselves in her mind. She felt alive again.  
What was happening?  
And at that moment she heard it - Thorin's voice - and she dropped the tray with a large bang, spreading the bread all over the floor.

Unable to move Nenya felt eyes on her, some curious, some annoyed. The murmur of voices stilled and the room fell silent.  
Was he really here? Or was it her imagination again? At the moment she did not hear him, since everybody was quiet. But the feelings that filled her body made her think that either was he here, and that made her heart jump a bit of happiness. Or else was she still in bed, dreaming, soon to wake up and face reality again.  
She looked up, searching for the familiar face of Thorin. When she found him she was hit with another revelation - he sat right next to lord Maral at the end of the table.  
The first look of his eyes was filled with annoyance and he glared at her. That quickly moved away to display another pair of feelings - surprise and disbelief - as if he didn't trust what his eyes saw.

"Nenya?" he asked with a voice full of doubt.  
Still incapable to do anything Nenya just stared into his eyes - not certain that he really was here. But it had to be him, nobody here knew her real name.  
She saw him rise from the chair and start walking towards her. Clad in a blue tunic with silver embroidery; a leather coat trimmed with fur; and a belt buckle displaying the royal crest. And on his head he wore a crown, there were no doubts anymore - he was the King of Rohland.  
Nenya could not believe it, even though it was obvious, who else would wear a crown and bear the crest of the royal line.  
All eyes were on them, maybe trying to understand what the King intended to do - and why he reacted like he knew her. She was just a servant, how and when would they have had the opportunity to meet each other before? But right now Nenya did not care what all the other men and women in the room thought - Thorin was here, walking towards her!

The closer he got the more the feeling of joy grew in Nenya. Everything else around them started to disappeared into a blur of colors, she only saw him.  
When he reached her he took of the scarf from her head and smiled, a gorgeously warm smile, that made her feel that nothing else mattered.  
He put his arms around her and embraced her tight.  
"Never run from me again, Nenya," he said, and once more she felt at home.

* * *

The loud bang of a tray hitting the floor disturbed Thorin in the conversation he had had with lord Maral. They were in the middle of discussing the new trading routes and Thorin already had trouble to concentrate on the matter. It was boring, everything had felt that way after Nenya disappeared. Although the world around him was full of colors, all he saw was gray. Some days that had been really bad, the longing almost consuming him, feeling that death might be a better option - than living without her.  
All he had wanted was to search for her, but he had had no possibility to do that. The King couldn't just run around looking for a girl when he was building up the kingdom once more.  
He had sent out scouts, but none of them had found any trace of Nenya. It was as if she had just vanished from the surface of Eriados.

Annoyed Thorin had looked up in the direction of the sound, just to see something familiar - a pair of big green eyes.  
He felt the same way as when he had lifted the hood from Nenya's face when they first met. Could this really be her?  
With a voice full of doubt he had called out her name, but the servant girl just stood there, looking back at him with an unreadable expression on her face.  
Thorin had risen from the chair, needing to know if it was Nenya, and if she did not move he had to go to her. He felt the eyes of the others around the table following him as he passed chair after chair. The closer he got the more certain he had became - it was Nenya that stood there looking back at him. A little thinner, but still his Nenya. A small smile had started to appear on her lips, she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever met, and he had found her again.  
The next moment she had been in his arms, where she belonged.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: I will try to put up a new chapter every monday so you will have something to look forward to at the start of every week!_

* * *

As Nenya and Thorin stood there, embracing each other, nothing could take this moment away from them. And if someone should have tried to, and maybe there were and they did not notice, Nenya knew that she was safe right now. She could not think of anything, whatsoever, that would ruin this - her reunion with Thorin.  
She felt the heat from his body against hers, and every day of those long months just vanished. This was her place, beside the one that was chosen for her to share her life with, and she was happy again.  
Right this minute she truly believed that Thorin would never let her be taken back by lord Dorami, if someone could save her from that man it would be Thorin. It might not be a smooth way to happily ever after, Dorami was still an obstacle they had to deal with later, but in the end it would be fine. She trusted that Thorin would get rid of Dorami somehow if he tried to get between them.

* * *

Around Nenya and Thorin murmurs started again - hushed voices talking about what they just had witnessed. Who was this servant girl? And what had she done with Thorin? The man standing there with a smile on his face was not the sullen and bitter man they were used to seeing. Could it be that "once in a lifetime" chance; the meeting of two souls that belonged together? Was she a suitable match for a king? Maybe not, but no one would dare say that to Thorin. He would do as he pleased, not listening to what others might think. As the voices grew louder and louder one person quickly made a dash for the door. He ran down the stairs to the stables to fetch his horse and then rode away as fast as he could - toward Ereiabor.  
He had to tell lord Dorami of what was found in Rivnadahl.  
It would take the rider at least two weeks to reach the city at the fast speed he traveled in, depending on the horse and the weather. But he would at least reach Ereiabor before the King and Nenya.

* * *

When Thorin finally, but very reluctantly, let Nenya out of his tight embrace, she did not want to withhold her longing any more. She had waited for this moment, thinking it was a mistake to run away, hoping that he might find her. All she wanted now was to feel Thorin's lips on hers again.

He met her halfway in and the sensation at impact made Nenya feel like she was flying. His soft lips moved over hers, tasting her, teasing her, letting her feel how much he had missed her. She let her hands travel along his torso, up over his chest feeling the light drumming of his heart under her fingers. They moved further up to his hair, touching his silky curls, blending her fingers into them. The soft strands felt wonderful against her skin. She felt the coldness from the silver beads, that held the two braids on each side of his face, when they came in contact with her wrists and arms.  
She felt his hand on the back of her neck, caressing her hair. The other hand rested on her lower back, pulling her close.  
Why did she leave him, she wondered, even if he had not been a king they would have worked something out anyway.

As Thorin ended the kiss Nenya put her forehead against his, enjoying the warm fuzzy feeling in her body. Then she realized that everyone in the room just sat, or stood, staring at them. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

The maids looked at them with disbelief in their faces. What had that quiet little girl done to have the fierce King of Rohland almost beaming with elation?  
The men around the table were mostly amused, some even had small smiles on their faces and a look of delight in their eyes. Probably because Thorin finally expressed something else than sulkiness and anger. The few who had another opinion growled over the chosen not being appropriate for a king and just glared at Nenya.  
She sank herself into Thorin's side in an attempt to avoid them.  
Closing her eyes she tried to concentrate on the good things; Thorin's warm body just beside her; the smell of him mixed with smoke and leather; feeling his chest rise and sink as he breathed.  
It will be alright, it will be alright she repeated in her head. She would do her best to make them truly believe that her place was by Thorin's side. They knew nothing about her, just the fact that she was a servant. And she assumed that many would not think of her as a suitable match for Thorin. But she also hoped that if he wanted her he might not care about what others said.  
And then it hit her, did Thorin have somebody waiting back at Ereiabor? Someone he would be forced to take as his wife later on to strengthen the bond between Rohland and some other country? She had not heard any news of that kind though, so he might not have. She would need to ask him later about it.  
Nenya's heart was racing, not just because Thorin was beside her, no, she was nervous beyond belief. Feeling her body tremble she tried to control the feelings, she just needed to calm down and trust Thorin. They were together again, that was all that mattered right now. And she would never doubt him again.  
Thorin must have felt her shaking and maybe understood how she had felt. For in that moment he had laid his arm around her shoulders and started to walk away from the dining area.

* * *

When Thorin led Nenya out of the salon he had mixed emotions from the things that happened in there. He was, mostly, ecstatic about having found Nenya - and she still seemed to care for him. He still cared for her, and he would banish - or kill depending on the situation - anyone who would have anything against his union with her, knowing that it would break him totally if she disappeared again.

But one thing lingered in his mind, and that was why?  
Why didn't she wait? Why didn't she trust him?  
He probably should have told her who he was - not just Thorin - but when he realized that, it had been too late - the soldiers were already knocking on the door.  
But why didn't she stay to find out? Why did she run?

He knew that Nenya had been terrified, it was so obvious that night. But he would have taken care of Dorami.  
Although Thorin had almost begged her to not leave - she still had.  
He had felt abandoned and lost. Then hope had made him push through the dark thoughts and forced him to move on. But when the scouts had returned empty handed he had almost lost it. He had had a hard time to even believe that their ways would ever cross again. Now when she was beside him again it had been worth the wait. But now that little "why" had started to grow again.  
Not knowing where to go he had just walked back and forth in the narrow hallways of Rivnadahl, lost in his own thoughts. And somehow they ended up outside of the door to Nenya's room.

* * *

Nenya felt much better after leaving the room with Thorin. Where he was leading her she did not know, and did not care about - as long as he did not leave her alone.  
But when he started to walk around and not speaking to her at all she knew something was wrong.

Had he just been taken by the moment, not feeling the same as before? Could she have mistaken the things that she had seen in his eyes when he had recognised her? The way he had kissed her, that had almost made her faint from the power of passion and longing she had felt in it.  
She started to feel uneasy, this might be to good to be true.  
Had he moved on without her anyway? If he had, she could only blame herself. She shouldn't have taken the easy way out, she should have stayed and fight for her place by Thorin's side - she knew that now.  
A good thing though was that he still held the same grip around her, even though they had walked around quite a bit by now.  
It seemed as if he did not know where to go. So she led him towards her quarters, knowing that she would need to go there anyway. She could not stay here now, the gossip would lead Dorami straight to her.  
They went up the stairs in silence and continued towards her door, where she stopped and looked up at Thorin.  
He had a very distant and pensive look in his eyes and did not look back at her.  
What should she do? Give him a kiss on the cheek, enter the door and just walk away? Or would she take him with her inside and hope for the best? At least they might talk about what to do now. That was if she managed to make him come out of his deep thoughts and speak to her instead.  
Not knowing which one was the best she chose the later, opened the door and walked in, with Thorin's hand still around her shoulders.

Nenya led Thorin across the small room to her bed. That was the only piece of furniture in the room to sit on that could fit them both. For a while they just sat there, in silence, before she started to feel even more anxious - like she had to do something. She already dreaded Thorin's answers if she would ask him what was on his mind. It must be something bad since he ignored everything around him.  
She took his hands in hers and tried to make eye contact. His eyes had an almost foggy look to them and he seemed to look right through her - like she wasn't there. She was so afraid that he would walk out the door the moment he came through these thoughts of his - never to come back to her.

"Thorin, please speak to me," Nenya said with a low voice, getting no response.  
"I need you to say something, you are scaring me." Her voice was trembling now, but this time she saw his eyes clearing up. He blinked a few times before he started to talk.  
"Why did you leave, Nenya? Why didn't you trust me when I said I could help you? Do you have any idea how it felt when I opened the door and saw that you weren't there anymore?" he said, and Nenya could hear the devastation and anger in his voice, his face stern and eyes glittering with unshed tears. She had hurt him, more than she could ever imagine, if she could take it all back she would - in a heartbeat.  
"I'm so sorry, Thorin, I didn't know what to do at that time. The will to get away from Dorami was so strong, and I feared that if he discovered that I was with you - he would kill you. He had threatened to do that to whoever touched me. Then and there I rather saw that you lived without me, than spent the rest of my days as Dorami's wife knowing that you were dead. But I was totally wrong, and I have regretted it every day away from you. I hope that you somehow will be able to forgive me," she said with tears slowly running down her cheeks.  
Thorin took his hand from hers and tenderly cupped her jaw.  
"This time you will listen to me, Nenya, do you hear me? If you choose to be with me don't ever leave again! It wouldn't be living if you weren't by my side. These months have been like a nightmare, not knowing if you were dead or alive - it was torture. So now I ask you, and I will respect any answer you give me - do you want to come back with me to Ereiabor? If you say yes you will make me the happiest man in Eriados." Hope was shining through the questioning expression in his eyes, and the grimness that had been in his face was nowhere to be seen.  
"Yes, Thorin, I will come with you. I just need to ask you one thing - do you have someone waiting for you back home?" she asked, feeling a little foolish to even consider the possibility. He looked confused for a moment, but then he must have figured it out because she could see a smile appearing.  
"No, my Nenya, no one is waiting for me the way you think of, I could never take anyone else to be with. You are the only one for me - now and forever." And then she felt his lips on hers again, soft and wonderful - perfectly matching hers.  
She couldn't believe that she, at this very moment, sat on her bed - kissing the King of Rohland! The same King she had been terrified of when she ran from Ereiabor. There was no way she would have been able to foresee this - but it didn't matter - to her he was just Thorin, the man in her dream. The only man who could save her from a life beside a man she would never love. Nothing had changed, it felt as if it was just yesterday they shared their first kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

At first their kisses were light and small, but they grew more intense for every second, like they couldn't get enough of each other. Thorin's breath was warm as his lips traveled over hers - it felt divine to have him so close. The little flame she had in her lower abdomen grew, and soon it glowed big and bright, like the furnaces deep down in Ereiabor. She had never experienced something similar before, like she had a great need, and the only one who could do anything about it was the man in front of her.

 _Nenya knew almost nothing about men in intimate relations, her father had never let any boys come near their home after that time with the neighboring boy.  
_ _Azrim had made sure that the boy knew his place, and after that he replaced all the male servants with female ones - never giving Nenya an answer as to why he did it.  
_ _The only times she had seen men up close after that was when her father had had invited guests for a drink in their halls - always leading to more than one drink, and drunk men loudly wobbling around the chambers late in the evenings.  
_ _But that was before the Mordorians came.  
_ _The only reason that she and her father hadn't been driven away from Ereiabor, like the rest of the Dormorians, was lord Dorami.  
_ _She had caught his eyes when he and his group of men searched for people hiding in the rooms. Her father had stood in front of her and begged for mercy with swords pointing at them. She was so scared that she couldn't even look at Dorami and the soldiers - thinking that this was the end and she was going to die. The relief when the men left had made her collapse on the floor crying.  
_ _They had been forced to move from their chambers, but it hadn't matter to Nenya. She didn't want to live near the King's rooms, or any other exalted Mordorian either for that matter.  
_ _The thought of leaving Ereiabor had crossed her mind, but her father wanted to stay. She hadn't known at that time that Dorami had demanded her hand in marriage from her father._

Nenya suddenly felt Thorin's tongue against her lips, gently demanding entrance. She tentatively met his movement with the tip of her tongue, not sure on how to continue, making Thorin more intense in his domination of her mouth. She could distinguish a sweet aroma from the mead he had been drinking before in the salon, a light scent of smoke, leather and soap - all mixed up with his intoxicating manly smell. Dizzy and warm she put her hands on Thorin's chest, feeling his heart racing inside. One of his hands was in her hair; grasping her neck; fondling with her golden curls. The other one was caressing her back with long strokes over her linen dress, sending shivers down her spine.

Nenya wondered if this would lead to something more than just kissing and touching, or was stopping before it became too intense the best thing to do? The right way was to wait until they were married, that was what she was taught when growing up, but her "high on arousal" mind wouldn't listen to that at the moment.  
In her dreams in Rivnadahl she had explored his imaginary body so many times, just to wake up in the darkness of her room - alone in bed. Now when he was right here beside her she felt the need to at least see him - all of him - not just the bits that were visible with clothes on. She wanted to hold his body against her naked skin, feeling the warmth radiating from him, without anything in the way.  
So she rose from the bed and sat down on Thorin's lap, not letting this moment slip away, and she could feel his hardness against her nether regions. The realization made her a little nervous, what if she wanted to stop at some point and he didn't? He was probably used to getting things the way he wanted, being King and all. But she pushed the thought aside, the need to continue was stronger. She freed him from his coat and let her hands move downwards to the lower edge of his tunic - tugging it free from the belt.  
He had started to kiss her neck and the sensitive skin on her earlobe, sending small jolts of lust throughout her body, making her hands shake a bit as she let them slide in under the fabric of his shirt. For a few seconds she held her palms against his scorching hot skin, enjoying the warmth radiating from him. Then she slowly let her fingers run over his well-toned abs though the layer of coarse hair, feeling him tremble, letting out a hushed groan in her ear. He grabbed the lower edge of the shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his magnificent upper body. It was covered with a thin layer of dark and curly body hair and she drew in a sharp breath. Reality was so much better than anything her mind had made up, making her feel feverish and light-headed, he was so sexy and attractive - she couldn't believe her fortune.  
She let her hands continue to explore his chest, it was heaving up and down faster than normal, and she loved how the wavy black hairs almost felt like a lush carpet when she run her fingers through them.  
Thorin started to unbutton her dress, she thought it took forever for him to finish, but soon he pushed the top down and revealed her breasts. He slowly traced the curve of them, brushed his fingers carefully over her rigid nipples, the sensation steadily driving her insane. Moaning Nenya pushed her body against his, wanting more, for at the moment her whole body shuddered with need. She closed her eyes, enjoying every little gentle touch, wanting him to show her everything about this interaction between a man and a woman. He must have lowered his head because she felt his tongue starting to circle her little buds, sucking and nibbling on them; his fingers drawing lines across her back; his beard scratching her skin - she couldn't withstand much more, he was driving her crazy!  
Suddenly he stopped. She opened her eyes, straightened up in his lap and looked at him. His eyes burned with untamed desire and need.  
"If you don't want me to go on, this is a good time to say it. I can't promise you that I will be able to stop if we continue," he said in a deep raspy voice. "And I don't want to force you into doing anything you are not ready to do yet," he continued as he let his hand caress her cheek tenderly. She let out a sigh, now that she had a moment to think she knew what the right decision was.  
"I want you to continue, Thorin, I really do. But I think that it would be wise to not move on, before we do anything we'll regret later." Even though her body was screaming for him to continue she let go of him and stood up, for had she stayed in his vicinity she would never have been able to stop.  
He looked at her, and the expression in his eyes made it even harder to walk away - they still shone with the same passion she felt herself.  
"I know you're right, Nenya, but I still want you close. And I don't care what people might think about the two of us sharing room, for I'm not letting you stay here in alone, you are coming with me to my chambers." He rose from the bed and moved to stand next to her. While he spoke she had pulled the dress up again and held it against her chest, her heart still beating fast inside.  
With him so close, his scent flooding her sense, mixed with the light smell of vanilla coming from her made it really hard to not push him back into the bed - begging for him to continue.  
Could she really stand to be near him? With these feelings rushing through her whenever he was in the same room? She didn't know, but she would try - because being alone now, when he was finally here to protect her, was one of the last things in her list. If it destroyed her reputation, may it be, for she would never take anyone else to be with if Thorin cast her aside.  
What did she need to take with her from here? Right now nothing seemed important, and the few things she had could easily fit in a small sack.  
"I'm just going to pack up my things, then we can go to your rooms. Even though I doubt that anything I have, except clothes, will be of use. It will just take a moment." She turned around and tried to think of what to pack. Her dark cloak that hang by the door was definitely needed, and a spare dress to. What else? she thought. She hadn't brought anything personal with her, because of the way she left Ereiabor, and everything she had bought or come over after that was just things she needed to survive. Except for one thing - her perfume. She had been so happy when she came by it at the market, that she hadn't even thought twice about the price. She had just bought it, spending every coin she had earned and not spent until that point.  
When she returned to Thorin he had put on the tunic and coat, impatiently standing next to the door. She moved towards him and took down the cloak from the hanger, putting it over her shoulders.  
"Shall we leave?" Thorin said, and she turned towards him.  
"Yes, I think I have everything I need now." She reached for the door handle, but Thorin was quicker. He opened the door for her, and she walked out of the rooms that had been her home for several months - not even casting a glance back into them.  
As they both started to follow the stairs downwards she heard the sound of footsteps in front of them, moving away. Someone must have stood outside the door, spying on them, making her even more sure of her decision to not complete the act with Thorin earlier.  
She peeked over to where Thorin was beside her, he was quietly observing her with a small smile on his lips. He reached out his hand towards her and squeezed her smaller one tightly when she put it in his grasp. Smiling she let go of all the troubles that had been, looking forward to what the future with Thorin would bring.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing Nenya felt when she woke up in Thorin's room the next morning, was the warm body behind her, and the slow and steady breaths against her neck.  
She smiled and snuggled closer, she wanted wake up like this every morning - happy, beside Thorin.  
Then the thoughts came back - why couldn't they just leave her alone?  
She tried to think of something else, but the more she attempted to force them away, the more they nestled themselves in her mind.  
How perfect everything would be, if that little "if" didn't existed.  
What if Dorami didn't accept that he was not getting her back? Then what? Would Thorin throw him out of Rohland? Or, in worst case, kill him? Could he even do that without consequences?

Another thing was if she was accepted as Thorin's future wife - her lineage was after all Dormorian - wouldn't that make him think twice about marrying her? His counselors might even dig up some old law that he had to follow when choosing a queen, making their joining impossible. Even if he was the King he couldn't stand above the law, could he? For the Mordorians must have some laws, or was Thorin some kind of dictator - able to do as he pleased? She did not know anything about those things, and she even started to doubt that Thorin wanted her by his side as his wife. Because even if his actions told her that he cared deeply for her - he hadn't said that he loved her.

The happiness she felt was slowly getting infiltrated with fear of the unknown, and she pressed her eyelids together to try to get the bad visions to vanish - but to no avail. They creeped down along her spine, making her shiver. And although Thorin was lying right behind her she felt dread building up, and the tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes threatened to flood over at any second. She was so afraid of losing him and not even be able to do anything about it.

"What's wrong my sweet Nenya?" She heard Thorin's voice behind her, followed by a light kiss on the tender skin behind her ear. "Why are you shaking? Are you cold? I can get you warmer in no time if you want me to," he said with a lower voice, while he placed kisses along her shoulder line.  
"What will happen now, Thorin? How do we go on from here?" she asked, trying to concentrate on his fingers running circles on her stomach instead of the things occupying her mind.  
"Simple. We go back to Ereiabor, take care of Dorami and continue our life together, what else?" he answered and turned her around to face him.  
"Dorami will not give up easily, Thorin, I know that. He has some weird obsession with me, and he will pull every trick he has up his sleeve to destroy what you and I have - to get me back. And maybe my father will help him too, since he was the one who gave me away to Dorami in the first place." She felt so helpless and the anxiety was eating at her.  
"Your father? He didn't have any other choice, both you and him would have been dead if he had rejected the offer. My orders were clear, kill every highborn Dormorian - like they slaughtered our forefathers - no exceptions whatsoever. I was not too happy when Dorami spoke about how he had came by you, but now I am forever grateful that he, and your father, did as they did, or else we would never have met." There was a sadness to his voice when he came to the conclusion, and Nenya felt him shudder a bit at as he let it sink in.  
She hadn't even thought about it in that way. All she had been was sad and angry that her father gave her away to Dorami, without even asking her if that was something she would want. Maybe her father did care for her and didn't want to see her get killed. It was so far-fetched for her to think that way about her stern father, it had never crossed her mind that he had done what he did to save her.  
She sank into Thorin's arms again and curled up into a ball next to him. He embraced her and slowly stroke her back, trying to comfort her.  
"I'm struggling to see that everything is just going to work out without any more obstacles. What if we are not meant to be together? Maybe my ancestry will stand in the way? Should you just ignore all your responsibilities and elope with me?" There was no clear path in front of her, and she struggled to see that she even had a future with Thorin.  
She heard him sharply exhale, and then he pulled her with him as he sat up on the bed. He took her jaw in his hand, making her look him straight in the face, his piercing blue gaze locking her eyes with his.  
"Don't think like that, Nenya! I WILL handle this, I made you a promise, didn't I? We will be together. I told you before, and I will tell you again - trust me!" He ended the last word by giving her a kiss that was so possessive and full of yearning that she just let go of all her doubts in an instant. He let go of her jaw and gripped the back of her head, his fingers slipping through her hair as he pulled her close. She let her arms slide around his neck and felt the familiar feeling in her center ignite again.

* * *

While Thorin and Nenya shared the rest of that morning, and half of the afternoon together, everyone else had something to talk about.  
The maids quickly spread the words about the little girl with golden hair that had caught the attention of the handsome king of Rohland. They feared for Nenya, especially when the word got out that she had refused to be intimate with him the day before. Thorin had never looked twice at a woman, not even the ones who had shared his bed for the night once in awhile. How big was the chance that it would be different this time?

Soon the whole castle knew of the deeds that had taken place in lord Maral's halls. And the question in everybody's head was - who was she?  
Some, who had a stronger belief that everyone had that special someone that was their match; their other half; their "one"; were thrilled to see that the attractive but cantankerous and sulky king finally might have some love in his life. Maybe he would change for the better if he had a caring woman by his side? And the people of Eriados would not have to be afraid of any more wars because he couldn't get along with his neighbours?

* * *

During the days that were left before Thorin and Nenya had to return to Ereiabor, they spent as much time as possible together. The only times she was alone were when Thorin had to take care of the peace treaty and the new trade terms, the reason for his trip south.

To get away from all curious eyes they had walked along the more desolate shores of Rinkaia; followed paths in the great Blackshaw forest with its high trees and lush green vegetation; sat in the soft grass with their arms around each other, listening to the rippling sound of the water of the river Langlith next to them.  
Nenya had loved those days. They had shared bits of their past with each other while watching the sunset with clouds sliding over their heads; kissing under a tree in the rain; playing catch until they were out of breath, sinking down on a spot in the grassy sea kissing - until the world turned into a spiral of blue, green and brown.  
Thorin had told her about his childhood, filled with lessons in how to be a proper heir to the throne, and the constant battle training he had had to endure. The longing to take back Rohland from the Dormorian's, and avenge the slaughter of over half of the people that had inhabited Ereiabor two centuries ago, that had been passed on from his grandfather to his father and down to Thorin - who finally had been able to reclaim their homeland.  
He had spat out his dislike for King Thragen, the King of Mirkheim, an arrogant man, always thinking he was right; could have whatever he wanted and was better than everybody else - just because he knew some magic tricks. The two times Thorin had been forced to enter Thragen's halls to negotiate - to avoid a conflict between the lands - ended in Thorin biting his tongue to avoid saying the wrong words, trying to control the impulse to speak the truth about how he really felt.  
He had also told her about his little brother, Gimir, who still remained in Moridoria.  
She had in turn let him learn about the loveless years in her father's home; that she missed her mother she never met; how she had yearned to feel loved and eventually learned to cope with what she had. With tears in her eyes she had told him about the loss of her best friend, Mira, that she hadn't seen since Thorin and his army took over Ereiabor.  
She had also spoken of the love she had for vanilla orchids, the reason why she had had a vanilla scent to her when they first met, and how she missed the ones she left behind when she fled from Dorami. She hadn't found any new ones in Rivnadahl, but she had came across a perfume she now wore that reminded her of their smell.

Their best times had been spent in the guest room Thorin was given at the arrival - mostly the big bed. Sometimes they explored each other, but not stepping over the edge - even though it had been close a couple of times. Other times they just laid there - looking at each other - memorizing every little part of the person in front of them. She could stare into his amazing eyes forever, drowning in the everlasting blue depths of them.  
Nenya had loved how it felt when her fingers traveled over his body, touching his hard muscles through the dark hair that covered almost every inch of him.  
Tenderly she had let her hands slip through his hair; stroking his curls to remember their softness; wrapping them around her fingers; and follow the silver strands with her eyes.  
The immense force of emotions, that followed as their tongues battled during their kisses, had always made her knees get weak.  
It was madness the way Thorin had been able to make her lose all sense of reality, just by gently stroking her along the spine and whisper small words of devotion in her ear.  
She had adored the little crow's feet that appeared in the corner of his eyes when he smiled at her, regardless if it was the wonderful smile displaying his perfect white teeth - or the mysterious one playing over his lips as he watched her with desire shining in his eyes. The later ones could be so arousing that she almost lost control of herself.

Yes, it had been heavenly those days, and Nenya hoped that it would continue on - helping them through whatever problems that lied ahead.


	7. Chapter 7

_.  
Author's Note_:  
 _Sorry for the small delay of this chapter.  
_ _But here is the continuation!  
_ _Enjoy!  
_ _And feel free to leave a small token of appreciation by writing a review, it warms my heart to know what you think about my story!_

* * *

The day they were going to ride back to Ereiabor Nenya was very nervous. She once again had to face Thorin's entourage and spend many days together, and she hoped that they would accept her. She knew that Thorin would never let anyone physically harm her, but he couldn't hinder them from having their own thoughts about her.  
Whatever questions they wanted to ask her she would answer truthfully, not hiding anything anymore - there was nothing else she could do at this point. If she were to be at Thorin's side she needed to act like she deserved her place there.  
Right now she felt misplaced as she stood there beside Thorin clad in her green linen dress, black cloak and the well used shoes.  
He wore his long fur trimmed leather coat above a light chainmail, and around his waist there was a sword belt holding the scabbard. A sword hilt protruded on the left side just below his hip; his underarms had wrist protections with intricate patterns; and the dark leather pants, that fitted his lower body perfect, and on his feet he wore dark leather boots with metal clasps. The crown on his head shone in the light from the morning sun, he looked so majestic that Nenya almost felt like she didn't belong there. But when he gave her a swift look and half a smile she knew that this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Her hands shook nervously when she covered her head with the hood, before taking the reins of a little brown pony that was handed to her.  
"There is no need for that, she rides with me." She heard Thorin's voice right behind her. "I want you close, so you don't disappear again," he quietly said, a lovingly whisper only intended for her ears.  
He helped her up on his horse before mounting it himself. Enjoying his warmth she felt safe and hidden from the eyes of the others. He took the reins and ordered their departure from Rivnadahl.

The first part of the trip had been cold and uneventful as they made slow progress towards Ereiabor. Thorin wanted to shortened the journey with at least a day - it would take them more than three weeks to reach their destination - by ordering the men to skip the tents, making it possible for them to travel for a few more hours every day. As they made camp in the evenings the soldiers that was in the squad split into smaller groups to keep guard, surrounding the King and his nearest men that camped close to the biggest campfire. They were laying on furs, to protect them from the coldness and hardness of the ground, while covering their bodies with blankets to stay warm. Thorin and Nenya had their place a little to the side, wanting some privacy, she didn't feel comfortable to be too close to the others just yet.  
She had almost always been beside him at the beginning, being a little unsure of how she should behave. But as time went by, and Thorin accepted that those with questions could have them answered, she felt that their attitude towards her was becoming a little more positive. Soon she were able to sit among them, listening to their stories about life, love and war, and she felt safe even though Thorin wasn't right next to her. But she could always see that he had an eye on everyone around her, to make sure that they knew where the boundaries were. They weren't bad men, they were just curious and needed to get to know her.

Nenya, and probably Thorin too she thought, had had a hard time to not do anything that wasn't appropriate in front of others.  
A chaste kiss as he had helped her down from the horse; the fully clothed, close body contact when they tried to stay warm under the blanket they shared at night; a stroke on the cheek when waking up in the morning; the tingling sensation in her body when they let their fingers intertwine thinking no one was watching; the looks of hidden craving for the other as they sat around the fire at night - everything led to frustration building up in a steady pace inside her. All she wanted was to be dragged into the woods by Thorin, and let him do whatever he wanted with her. She knew that Thorin had the same thoughts sometimes, seeing the dark desire filled looks he was giving her, but he did nothing about it - and she was too shy to take the first step now when they weren't alone.

They followed the small stream of Andiathyst north, passing a few villages along the way. The rolling hills around them blended in well with the small humps with doors in different colors. Almost every entrance had a little fenced in garden, some with flowers growing in pots or on the ground, some with just grass, bushes or a small trees. Most of them also had a bench or chairs somewhere in the yard. All around the small towns people were going about their usual business, and in the fields around them Nenya saw farmers taking care of their crops.  
Everywhere they were met with cautiousness, but some also watched Thorin and Nenya with curious eyes as they rode in the front of the group.

Half way through it had started to rain, drenching them and the horses for five days straight. It seemed as if the dark clouds followed them north, making the journey feel even longer.  
Making a fire in the evenings had been impossible, the dry wood they carried with them was soaking wet. A few tents were put up to get away from the rain, but they could not do anything against the cold and the wet clothes. So they spent a few nights freezing in the darkness while the moon was hidden behind the thick cover of clouds.

At the end of the nineteenth day Nenya had had trouble sleeping, even though she laid as close to Thorin as she could. Her whole body shook from the cold and his warm embrace couldn't make it stop. She was so frozen that it took more than half the night until she finally fell into a light slumber.

On the twentieth day they finally saw the misty contours of Ereiabor rise in the horizon as they made camp for the night in the northern outskirts of the forest Norethil. It had been a long day, and Nenya was still freezing, she probably had a slight fever after the days of bad weather. But that didn't stop her from trying to share the others joyous anticipation to return home by tomorrow evening.

As she sat by the fire through that evening with Thorin behind her, him whispering in her ear what he would do as soon as they reached the mountain, all she could think about was that soon she would be alone with him again.

That night was the longest so far for Nenya. She couldn't sleep at all, feeling dizzy and extremely cold. Lying awake she looked up at the stars chasing each other over the night sky, but they didn't move like they usually did. No, they danced around in some random zig-zag pattern in front of her eyes, making her even more woozy.  
As they started to become a little blurry she blinked a few times to sharpen her eyesight and sat herself up, and carefully she moved her legs out from under the blanket to not wake Thorin up. She bent her knees so she could wrap her arms around them and looked out over the sleeping group of men that were spread out around them. She wasn't freezing anymore, maybe the fever was starting to lose its grip on her, and she might finally get some sleep.  
Then the fire caught her eye. It seemed as if the flames tried to release themselves from the glowing embers, stretching their waves up towards the dark sky.  
The flickering and dancing flairs played in her eyes, swirling and twisting over the blackness of the already burnt wood, and she stared mesmerized into the campfire.  
For the first time in a while her head was entirely empty - it was just her and the billowing, raging fire. Slowly it grew out of proportions, coming closer, threatening to swallow her - and she started to see images emerging in the inferno.  
First she saw Thorin smiling at her, making her feel the love for him in her heart, but then the figure started to change. The warm kind eyes turned into an evil glare; the dark hair and beard lightened to the colors of the flames in the background; the familiar features of Thorin transformed into the smirking face of Dorami in front of her eyes. And then she suddenly heard a booming voice, filling her with fear, "You are mine, Nenya, always and forever!" followed by the sound of Dorami's wicked laughter. The figure started coming closer, grasping after her with its hands. She couldn't move. Her body wasn't responding. Paralyzed out of fear all she could do was scream, an icy-cold cry of terror as the palms moved closer.  
In the distant she heard a voice calling her name, but she couldn't concentrate on it. It was just her and the horrific creature in front of her, slowly making its way towards her.  
All of a sudden everything started to blur, and she sensed someone beside her, frantically shaking her. The horrible images faded away and she saw Thorin's worried face in front of her.  
It had been a dream, caused by the rising fever that raged inside her that now became obvious to her again. She felt like a little child waking up from a nightmare; her whole body shook and tears made their way down her face. Not even when Thorin took her in his arms could she make them stop. She pressed herself against him and let all her fears and despair out into his warm embrace.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning the sun was shining on Nenya's face from clear blue sky.  
After that horrible nightmare she had fallen asleep, curled up next to Thorin, her head against his chest, his hand slowly stroking her hair. The fever had loosened its grip during the night and she was feeling much better, a little weak but nothing that would stop her from continuing the journey.  
When she looked around she saw that everyone had packed their belongings and were on their feet, except for Thorin, he had her head on his lap.  
As she started to move he helped her to sit up. She turned her head towards him, he looked concerned and a little tired, but a small smile was on his lips. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep at all during the night.  
After a quick kiss she moved closer, leaning against him while he laid his arms around her.  
"I have never seen you in the state you were in last night, Nenya, and I felt so helpless when there was nothing I could do."  
"It's alright, Thorin, you did what you could by staying by my side through the night,'" she said and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent, letting it caressing her senses and soothe her still somewhat tense body.  
"Do you remember anything? You can share it with me if you want to, but you don't have to." He seemed troubled, and she could only imagine how he must have felt not knowing what to do, he who always seemed so confident.

Nenya tried to recall the dream, but she could only remember some vague fragments.  
"I remember fire, seeing something in the flames, not being able to move. The rest is just a blur. But the thing that struck most terror in me was the tense atmosphere; the panic; the fear; the feeling of being discovered - all reminding me of when I left Dorami. Maybe he was in the dream, I don't know; but it is likely."  
She looked down on her hands, the fingers fiddling with the fabric of her dress. Thorin took her delicate hands in his larger ones, gently stroking his fingers over her palms.  
Dorami hadn't been in her thought for days, but she couldn't ignore the memories slowly creeping up on her, she was still terrified of him, even with Thorin by her side.  
And today was the day, the day that they would meet him again.  
She raised her face again towards Thorin's. The small smile he had had was nowhere to be seen, and he wasn't hiding his irritation and anger for how that man could still affect her.  
"I wonder how he is going to take the news of me being with you instead of him?" She raised a hand and tenderly stroke his chin, his coarse beard a little softer against her skin since he hadn't trimmed it for awhile. He had said something about letting it grow out, so he once again could braid it as he had done when he was younger. She didn't care, to her he was perfect the way he was.  
"Hopefully he will behave and stay away from you if I order him to. But don't worry, if he tries something I will throw him out of Ereiabor, and Rohland, and you will never have to be afraid of that man again," he said, putting his hand over hers on his chin.

"Can you really do that? Just banish one of your counselors because he might want me back?" She saw a small spark of mischief in his eyes and the smile came back, a little bigger this time.  
"Of course I can, my Nenya." He placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist and continued, "I can throw everybody out if I wanted to. But it would be boring to rule over an empty kingdom - even if you were by my side. Come now so we can get going. I want to reach our home before nightfall." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he stood up and pulled her along with him, holding her close for a moment.  
"I'm in a hurry to get away from all of this 'masculinity' surrounding us," he whispered in her ear, before he gave her a soft kiss on the side of her face. A light blush spread on her cheeks, she too longed to be alone with him. Slightly trembling she wished that they were already there.  
He led her towards his horse, a soldier moving forward with it, helped her up and jumped up behind her, and in a steady pace they started the last phase of the journey.

They traveled along a path through a big meadow, the grass and small bushes waved like a big green sea in the light breeze. Nenya looked upon the almost too brightly lit surroundings, she had to shade her eyes a bit to see clearly, there was something that seemed familiar, like she had been there before.  
In front of them in the distance she could see Ereiabor stretching its lonely peak towards the sky, the sight making her remember - this was the same way she had taken when she left for Rivnadahl all those months ago!  
Back then she hadn't followed the trail, to big of a risk, and it had been darker, but the shape of the mountain was the same as the image in her memory. The thought of them coming back the same way she left hadn't even crossed her mind until now.

She felt Thorin behind her, following the movement of the horse, his upper body rubbing against her back; his arms on each side of her, holding the reins.  
He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek as she let her head rest against his chest.  
"Is everything alright?" he asked her.  
"At this moment, yes, it feels like a dream came true. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than here right now." Sighing she relaxed, enjoying Thorin's body heat and scent, getting lost in their little bubble of love as she closed her eyes.  
"In a few hours we will reach Ereiabor, this time you will come through the main gates, not the backdoor. I'm not hiding you from anyone, I want them all to see that you're mine, Nenya." He took the reins in one hand and turned her face towards his.  
"I love you, Nenya, and I always will. The only thing that could ever come between us is death, and fear that not even that could stop me from loving you," he said and gave her a deep kiss that took her breath away. It was passionate and full of promises, making the small hair on her neck rise and blood rush fast through her veins. If she could fly she would at that moment. It was the words that he had not yet told her, just shown her in every little thing he had done. But to hear them spoken out loud made her heart do somersaults in her chest.  
"I love you too, Thorin, to the moon and back. You are my other half and I am not whole without you." She caught his lips again while gently letting her fingers slide through his hair, feeling his arm around her back, pulling her closer.  
She placed an arm around his neck, letting fingers trail downwards along his throat; stroking the coarse hairs of his beard; moving over the cold metal of his chainmail; until her hand rested on his thigh and she heard him let out a groan.  
"You have to stop now, or else I can't be held responsible for what I might do to you when we reach Ereiabor," he said sharply, growling deeply when she continued to stroke his thigh, moving closer and closer to his crotch. When she looked up at him she could see that his eyes were burning with desire, she was on very dangerous grounds right now - and she knew it. But she couldn't make herself stop, her own fire was also awakening, and she was drawn to him like a magnet.

The rest of the way Nenya's fingers had moved around, touching him in places she knew were sensitive, to see him bite down hard to remain in control. More than a few times he grabbed her hand, holding it tight so she couldn't tease him anymore. The first couple times she had smiled at him, trying to get her hand loose from his firm grip, only getting a firm dark look back as he shook his head.  
The third time she had to admit defeat, he decided when to let go, and she were hopelessly stuck in his strong grip. Although that hadn't stopped her from continuing her deeds every time he had released her. The shyness she always had had before was gone, she didn't care if anyone was watching, she couldn't keep her hands off of him.

When they arrived at the gates and rode through them he could not even look at her, and she knew that she was going to get punished for her actions later - when they were alone - and that made her feel both nervous and anticipative at the same time.  
After three weeks of traveling, of being close to him, but never being able to do anything more than kiss him, or touch him through clothes or in places not covered, she needed to feel his naked body against hers again.  
But had she pushed Thorin over the line this time?

An overly friendly voice quickly took her back to reality - Dorami's.  
He was standing among the other people greeting them in the courtyard inside the gates, his arms crossed over his chest looking very pleased.  
She felt cold shivers creeping along her spine and fear spreading in her body as her eyes met his, she was more than certain that if he got his hands on her he was going to make her pay for escaping, and then make sure that she would never have the opportunity to do it again.  
When he approached them she had trouble breathing, her heart banging hard in her chest, and she tried to get even closer to Thorin.  
"Welcome back, my King. And Nenya, my betrothed, I have awaited your return."  
Dorami reached out a hand towards her when he was beside the horse, but she didn't take it, why would she? She was at the safest place she could at the moment. When he realized that she would rather stay by Thorin than come back to him his face went hard, and he glared spitefully at her.  
"So I'm not good enough for you now when someone else has caught your eye, someone who I can't compete with, the King of all men. But don't think that I will let you go that easily, I will get you back, one way or another," he snarled in a low voice. She could see the anger changing his facial expression into something dark and eerie, reminding her of the imaginary monsters she had seen in the dim lights in the corridors the first time she had gotten lost in Ereiabor when she was a small girl, and it made her even more frightened. Why, out of all men in Ereiabor, did it have to be this horrific person that her father had given her to?

After hearing the threatening promise uttered by Dorami Nenya felt Thorin almost flying off the horse. She knew that he was already at the brink of bursting for other reasons, so this was not going to end nicely for Dorami.  
Thorin drew his sword and furiously started to talk while he pointed the tip against Dorami's throat.  
"Just give me an excuse Dorami, just one, to drive my sword through you instead of banishing you. I really hoped that you would behave so I could have let you stay here, but hearing you speak that way to Nenya made me change my mind. She is mine, and will never again be yours. Get out of Ereiabor, and if I ever see you here again, or anywhere else in Rohland - I will kill you."  
Nenya saw how Dorami shrank in front of his enraged fuming King for every word spoken and fell to his knees. His face was white with fear, which made the redness of his hair and beard seemed even more fiery. This was not what he had expected when he went down to greet them. Maybe he thought that if he just laid low and played along, he would be allowed to keep his position as counselor - and at the same time devise a plan to get her back. But as he had been unable to control his temper when she had rejected him he must have realized by now, at the end of Thorin's sword, that that was totally out of the question.

Dorami crawled backwards, Thorin followed Dorami, with the tip of the sword no more than an inch away from his throat, until his back was against the stonewall.  
Slowly he stood up and slided carefully to the side to avoid the sharp blade. Then he backed a few steps, to see if Thorin would do anything else, before Dorami turned around and ran as fast as he could through the crowd that had gathered to see what was going on.  
Thorin just stood there, heavily breathing, still with a ferocious look in his face and a raised weapon - following the running man with his eyes.  
Dorami disappear in the distance and Nenya slid of the horse, her legs unsteady as she landed. Nervously she started to walk towards Thorin, people following her every step until she was beside him. She stepped in front of him and pushed the sword down, then laid her hand against his still rapidly heaving chest.  
Thorin let go of the sword, it made a clanging sound as it landed on the stone floor, and he looked down at her, his eyes still blazing with anger.  
"Hopefully he will not bother us anymore now. What was he thinking? That he could just grab you off my horse and move on like nothing had happened?" Thorin still sounded very upset and angry, but he was not the raging thundercloud that he had been a moment ago, not now when the one who were to blame for it was gone and Nenya was beside him.  
He pulled her towards him, looked straight into her eyes for a second before crashing his lips against hers, making the crowd gasp at what they saw. Maybe he had never kissed anyone in public before, making them realize that something was different this time, she thought as his wonderful lips made her whole body weak.  
"Mine, only mine," he mumbled against her lips, kissing her more and more eagerly.

Soon everything but the man kissing her vanished. She could feel the yearning in his actions; the tender strokes of his hand on her back were getting more intense and rough; his breathing getting more rapid as his tongue swirled around hers; pressing himself against her so she could feel his hardness through the fabric of their clothes. All she could do was to give in, letting him decide what the next step would be, knowing that she probably had awakened something that couldn't be stopped easily. And a large part of her didn't want it stop - not now, not later, not ever.  
He lifted her up in his strong arms and carried her away, still kissing her passionately.


	9. Chapter 9

The way up to Thorin's chambers must have taken only a fraction of the time it usually did, he almost ran through the corridors and up the stairs, and soon they were outside a blue wooden door. Since she only had had eyes for Thorin the whole way up she could not remember if he had taken her somewhere else, because she had a faint memory that his door was another color the last time. She took a quick peek around when he put her down to opened the door, everything looked like it had that night when they first met, but why had he changed the color of the door?  
She was interrupted in her thoughts when Thorin roughly pulled her inside.  
He closed the door behind them and pushed her against it, the force so immense that it knocked the air out of her.  
Then he started kissing her so hard and possessively that she thought she was going to die right there and then just because of the sheer force of when he released all his pent up emotions for her. The longer he kissed her the more the room was spinning, her thoughts was fuzzy, and her mind threatened to soon be out off control entirely.  
When he at last let go of her lips she gasped for air, already missing their violent mouth dance, her whole body was quivering and she felt lightheaded. He was standing in front of her, breathing quickly, and when their eyes met she saw the dark and dangerous almost out of control need he had for her.

"What you did to me on that horse earlier was the hardest battle I have ever fought, and I can't promise that I won't go all the way this time," he said in a low voice as he moved his fingers upwards over her arms, making her even more unsteady than she already was. She surely would have sunken to the floor in a trembling messy pile if he wasn't still pushing her up against the door.  
"And you won't be needing this anymore," he said before she heard a ripping sound. Thorin had torn apart the front of her dress in one go, and was now pulling it off of her body, leaving her standing in her chemise, which soon met the same fate.  
She was just about to protest when he lifted her up into his arms and walked towards the door beside the one she knew was leading into the bedroom. He pushed it open with his hip and revealed a steamy bathroom; the mossy minerally and slightly metallic scent of wet stone instantly made it's way to her scent glands.  
In the middle there was a large rectangular shaped bathtub carved into the mountain floor, filled with fuming water. Obviously the servants knew that the King might want a bath after three weeks on the road, and she was really in need of one too. He put her down on the cold damp stone floor, making her a little uncomfortable when he eyed her almost naked form, but when her eyes met his it quickly faded away. His intense gaze made her bite back a moan, so full of untamed desire that his eyes was almost scintillating.  
"Even if I wanted to take you to the bedroom straight away I don't want three weeks of dirt and sweat to destroy this moment. You go on and get in, I'll join you in a second… I need a moment alone right now." She saw him struggling, the side in him that wanted more threatening to take over, and she could almost touch the tension in the room as he turned around and walked out, leaving her alone in there as he closed the door.  
She took her underwear off and on shaky legs she descended into the water at the shallow end, feeling the heat embracing her body. She moved over to the deeper side, put her head down on the cold stone and closed her eyes. The only thing she could hear was the crackling sound of the torch burning on the wall. There was a fresh aroma coming from a soap laying on a tray on the floor, reminding her about Thorin's scent in Rivnadahl, and it made her think of what they had almost done there. Her body reacted to the images of a barechested Thorin that formed in her mind, and she let out a small moan.  
How far would he go this time?  
She couldn't blame him too much if she wasn't a virgin after this night, and it would be a huge lie if she said that she didn't want more of what he could show her.  
Suddenly she sensed that he was in the room again, she hadn't even heard the door opening, the only thing giving him away was the manly aroma that she had had in her nose almost the whole journey back.  
She opened her eyes and saw him standing there, on the opposite side from her - naked. His long dark locks were spread out over his shoulders and the beads holding his braids shone in the torchlight. She followed his almost perfectly formed body downwards, every little well-trained muscle displayed through the dark body hair sprinkled all over him, and she drew in a sharp breath when her eyes ended up at his big hard mandom.  
She had never seen one before, always turning her gaze in another direction when Thorin had replaced his underwear in the morning when they were in Rivnadahl, and she was feeling a little intimidated by the size. She hoped that it wouldn't hurt too much when he at some point took her virginity - knowing that it might be sooner than what was appropriate.  
But at this point she couldn't care less, he loved her, and she believed that he would never leave her - even if she wasn't a virgin on their wedding night. She would give herself willingly to him, even if she was nervous and her heart was racing.  
He was so beautiful - and hers only - nobody could change that.  
As he moved towards her his member swayed with every step he took down in the bathtub, before it vanished under the surface of the water.

Thorin smashed his lips against Nenya's when he reached her, and she could feel the heat in her lower parts flair up as their tongues intertwined. He grasped both of her arms and pulled them over her head - anchoring them with his hand against the edge of the bath.  
She felt a little trapped and let go of his lips, looked up at Thorin and questioned his actions.  
"Don't be afraid, I just want to have your hands under control so I can concentrate on making this good for you. But you can at anytime ask me to release you and I will do it without hesitation," he whispered, before he caught her lips again. His soothing words made her relax a bit, knowing that she had some saying in this too.  
She then felt his hand moving down along the side of her chest, over her stomach, all the way to the sensitive spot between her legs.  
It was the first time he had touched her there, since she didn't want him to cross that line when they had shared bed in Rivnadahl.  
He started to make small circular motions around her nub, and her body reacted in a new way - a pressure was building up inside her. It felt weird but at the same time wonderful. She hoped that he wouldn't stop whatever he was doing, because it made that odd sensation in her nether regions grow stronger.  
She wanted to feel him against her, but he evaded her movements, the only connection between them was their lips and his hands. Her head was spinning, she couldn't focus on anything, it felt so good that it almost hurt, and she wanted - needed more. Her breathing became more rapid and a ringing sound appeared in her ears, and stars started to form in front of her eyes. Then it felt like something snapped inside, and her body started to shake uncontrollably, inside she felt like she was melting and exploding at the same time as strong pulses of warmth washed over her, sending shockwaves of pleasure to every part of her body. It was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced in her life, all-consuming and euphoric.

When the rippling waves had ebbed out she looked up at Thorin, he had released her hands and looked back at her with a tender smile on his lips. She smiled back and felt more relaxed than she had ever been before. If this was just one of the steps towards making love she wondered how it would feel when they progressed even further. Right now she didn't think that anything could ever top this feeling.  
Her body felt numb, but at the same time she wanted more.  
"I need more, Thorin, please," she pleaded and let her fingers run over his bearded cheek.  
"There will be more, I promise, but not right away. Now you can have a taste of how I felt during the day." He picked up the soap from the tray on the floor and started to move it over her body. She trembled as it slid over her rigid nipples, but he just let it glide past them, moving on to the rest of her body, ignoring her attempts to make him continue his activities from before.  
How was he able to keep so calm?  
She was almost ready to beg for it when he put the soap back on the tray, only to pick up the bottle beside it instead. He poured some of its content into his hand and asked her with a firm voice to turn around so he could wash her hair. She just looked at him, trying to understand how and why he restrained himself so much, her body was practically screaming for him. When she didn't respond to his words he turned her himself, and she moaned when his fingers massaged the soap into her scalp.  
He was so close, but still nowhere near as close as she wanted him to be.  
While he was still occupied with her hair she moved her hands backwards, until she felt his body under her fingers. She heard him gasp, clearly not expecting her to do something like that, and his hands stilled when she carefully caressed his thighs.  
Nenya took a small step backwards, and she could feel his hardness against her buttocks. Slowly she began to turn around, pressing her behind against his member in the process. Thorin was not moving at all, she could just hear his breathing quickening.  
When she faced him his eyes were closed, his jaw clenched and his chest heaved fast up and down. She dived in and caught his lips while he was still immobile, but was soon disrupted as he pushed her away.  
"No, please don't tempt me more than you already do," he mumbled with a slightly hard voice that quivered a bit and stretched his hand towards her, handing her the soap bottle.  
"Your turn." The rough voice was resolute, and he turned his back against her.  
At this moment she was impressed that he still could keep control of his needs - because she was like a trembling autumn leaf on a tree, almost losing the fight to hang on when the wind played with it. But if he wanted her to wash his hair, then that was what she was going to do, and she poured some soap into her shaky hand.  
She had to stand on her toes to reach the top of his head, and Thorin made a humming sound and let his head fall back as she let her fingers slide through the dark strands. When she was finished with the task she let her fingers run down along the side of his face; follow the line of his cheekbone to his jaw; pulling his wet soapy hair to the side, before kissing him behind the ear.  
"I'm done, my love," she said in a low desirous voice. "Please, no more teasing, I can't handle any more now."  
He turned around and pushed her back against the edge of the bath, fiercely kissing her until the room started spinning in front of her eyes. The rough edges of the pool scratched her back, but she didn't feel it in her state of arousal. He lifted her up and placed her legs around his waist while still kissing her with the same intense passion. She could feel his hardness between her legs, but he didn't continue on any further as she thought he would do, no, he just stood there, his hands slowly moving over her back and his lips trailing her jawline up to the ear.  
"I hope that you are sure about this, my little temptress, because there is no way I will be able to stop this time, just delay it more or less," he said in a rough voice as he started to nibble on her earlobe.  
She tried to collect her thoughts, as hard as it was when his doings was muddling her sanity. Everything felt so right about this, but at the same time she knew that it would be a huge risk to do this now, there would be no bloodstains on the sheets on her wedding night to prove that she was untouched. She needed to her him say it, that it wouldn't matter to him, because for her it didn't anymore.  
"Promise me that I will always be yours, and to be gentle. I have never been with a man before," she answered and looked down. Even though she had never wanted anything in her life this much before she was still nervous. He stopped what he was doing, and she felt his hand under her jaw, gently pulling her face up to meet his beautiful eyes.  
"I will do whatever it takes for us to be together, forever, don't worry about that. And I'll never intentionally hurt you, I hope you realize that, but I have been told that some women can experience pain the first time..." he said, his eyes full of concern, but with his yearning for her still shining in the background.  
"I trust you completely, Thorin, and believe me when I tell you that I want this as much as you do." She caught his lips again and let her fingers glide through his soapy hair.  
"I know, but I don't want you first time to be in a bathtub," he mumbled and removed her arms and legs from him before turning her around.  
So that was the reason he restrained himself so hard, she thought and smiled a little at his sweet attempts to try and make this as perfect as it could possible be for her.  
As if he knew what she was thinking she heard his deep voice next to her ear.  
"Don't worry my love, just need to get all this soap and shampoo off of you before I take you to my, no, our bed. Much better than in here."  
His finger trailed up along her arm, over her shoulder, continuing up her neck and along her jaw until he gently pushed her head backwards, every little inch that he touched of her skin felt like it was on fire. When he poured water over her hair and threaded his fingers through the strands to remove the soap she really had to force herself to not turn around and delay this even more. All she could do was to wish for him to hurry up because the suspense was killing her!  
It took forever until he finally finished and backed away. She squeezed the water out of her hair and turned around just to see Thorin disappear under the surface. When he came up a moment later he had rinsed the soap out off his hair. He made a small gesture for her to follow him before he turned around and started to walk out of the tub.  
She was just about to the same when her eyes moved over his backside as he began to step out of the bath; his dark, wet hair plastered to the skin. The wide shoulders and slender waist gave him a perfect V shaped figure and she could not stop staring at him, her body not responding to her wish to move forward.  
He reached forward to grip the stone edge with his hands, the same that had swept over her naked body just moments ago, and she wished that they were still there.  
She continued to indulge in the sight of him as his rear-end and upper legs emerged from the surface, revealing the well defined muscles. Long hours of hard training and fighting in the war had left them without even a ounce of fat, making them stretch the thin skin and expose their shape.  
How could this attractive godlike man love her?  
The water dripped from his body and the skin glistened in the torchlight due to the thin layer of wetness still present, and the small drops of residues in his body hair glittered like little diamonds. Nenya's heart pounded fast in her chest, her mouth was salivating at the sight of him and hot flashes flew through her body, making her need for him even worse.  
Thorin was now out of the bath and must have felt her looking at him, because he turned around, just to straighten himself up and cross his arms.  
"Do you see anything you like?" His eyes shone with merriment as he raised an eyebrow, he was enjoying this ogling of hers.  
"A lot, but too far away for my liking," she answered, feeling very displeased.  
"Get your beautiful behind out of the tub then, or do you want to spend the night there instead of my bed? I would rather have you there, but if you insist I can manage on my own, I think, maybe." The half smile he had had grew to a full one, mirth still playing in his eyes mixed with arousal. Even when he tried to be a jokester he couldn't mask what his true intentions were.  
"Now you are being mean," she said and smashed her hand on the surface of the water, splashing it in his direction, before making her way towards him, thinking about how to get back at him for this.  
As she rose from the water she knew he was watching her, so instead of just walk normally out of the bath she moved slowly and excessive wiggled her hips as she ascended. She arched her back a bit and pulled her fingers through her hair. And without giving Thorin as much as a glance she walked right past him, her nose held high, just to hear him growl as she passed him.  
"I thought that I had found a timid and well mannered woman to share my life with. You are going to drive me mad in more than one way, woman." She felt his hand on her wrist as he jerked her back into his arms, and was just about to object his harsh actions when he crashed his lips hard onto hers.  
This kiss was as intense than the one he had given her earlier when they entered his chambers - if not even more. She was not able to do anything else but meet his demanding tongue as it swirled around hers - making her forget the world around her.


	10. Chapter 10

Eventually they made it to the bedroom, after stopping more than a few times to touch and caress each other, while kissing frantically. Nenya was so steamed up that she couldn't think about anything else than how much she wanted Thorin at this very moment. Even though his body was pressed against hers it felt like he wasn't close enough.  
"I need you, my love," she whispered; her hands desperately moving over his warm skin; trying to touch every inch of him at the same time. Their lips hadn't parted since they left the bathroom, and now their kisses became more and more eager and lustful for every second that passed by.  
While still kissing her he lifted her up and laid her down on the soft furs that covered the bed.  
"My beautiful Nenya, you have no idea how much I want you right now," he mumbled against her lips, his voice dark with desire.  
He covered her trembling body with his own, enveloping her with his warmth and scent, and she felt the tip of his erect member on her entrance.  
For a split second she hesitated and stilled her movements. It was barely noticeable, just a quick stop before continuing again, but apparently enough for Thorin, who ended the kiss and looked down at her, his eyes mirroring her own feelings.  
"Don't stop, Thorin, please," she pleadingly breathed out, barely audible. She wanted this, him, them, everything.  
He began to carefully push into her, not breaking eye contact, until she felt something resist his movement. He pressed a little harder and a sudden sharp pain made her close her eyes and bite down on her lip, letting out a quiet sob. His movements stilled and she felt his lips on hers, kissing her softly.  
She opened her eyes and looked up. He looked back down at her, a worried expression on his face, as if he regretted doing something that had hurt her. She gave him a shaky little smile and a small nod for him to continue. So he moved further into her, stretching her wide for every inch he claimed, closing his eyes and letting out a hushed groan as he reached the bottom.  
At first he was still, letting her inner walls adjusting to his length and girth, and she felt the dull pain fade away a bit, getting replaced with the feeling of being complete and to be as close as she was ever going to be to Thorin.  
He carefully started to move in and out, and she tried to ignore the light soreness that his actions and size caused. It wasn't unpleasant, just not as good as she thought it would be, and by the sounds Thorin made it seemed that he enjoyed it much more than she did.  
But after a while when he changed his angle a bit, to reach down between their bodies, moving his fingers over her nub again. It changed everything.  
Slowly the familiar sensations from before started to flood her mind and body; the fire inside growing; the tension in her core building up again; the weird feeling that she knew was going to end in something wonderful; his movements inside her making it even more marvellous. She let out a sensual moan and closed her eyes, the pressure increasing, making its way towards the peak when he circled her nub faster.  
She grasped his hair as she reached the top and let out a small whimper, feeling her body convulsing in pleasure yet again.  
Still enjoying the swirling bliss of her completion she felt his thrusts begin to get out of rhythm, becoming rougher and harder. And through the misty clouds in her head she heard him inhale and let out a groan before spilling his seed deep inside her.

He pulled her with him as he laid down beside her, holding her in a tight embrace.  
"I love you," she said and kissed him on the nose.  
"I love you too," he answered, tightening his grip around her.  
Satisfied they fell asleep in each other's arms, not a worry at the moment in their perfect little shared world.

* * *

In the morning Nenya was awakened by fingers trailing over her arm. She took a deep breath, a mixture of smoke, soap, lovemaking and Thorin flowing into her nose. Her back was sore after her encounters with the rugged surface in the bathroom, and she had a dull ache between her legs after Thorin's actions last night. But she didn't care, it had been totally worth it, she was his and he was hers now - body and soul.  
She opened her eyes and searched for Thorin's familiar ones in the dim room, the only light coming from a small fire burning in the hearth. It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for, the fingers stroking her arm was his.  
"Slept well, my love?" He laid beside her with his head resting in the hand of his bent arm.  
"Extremely, and I think that I still do, for there is a very handsome man by my side and I don't know what I have done to deserve him." She turned over to her stomach and laid her head on her hands. Fascinated she got caught in his loving gaze, feeling the butterflies in her belly multiply.  
"I never thought that I would experience this, and certainly not with the King of Rohland. You were one of the two men I feared the most before, and look in whose bed I ended up!" she said with a small laughter. "But it hadn't matter if you had been something else, I would have loved you anyway. The only thing I still regret is not staying the first time." She stretched out her hand and let her fingers stroke the back of his hand, hearing him make a delighted humming sound from her light touch.  
"I think that our roads were meant to cross again, for if they hadn't I fear that my life would have been a lot shorter and less happy." He took her hand and placed a soft kiss on it.  
"Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back." She saw him rise from the bed and walk over to a small dresser, taking something out of the top drawer before returning to her.  
"I should have given this to you earlier, but since I didn't carried it with me to Rivnadahl, and the distraction last night made me forget, this is as good of a time as any." She saw a little silver bead with small sapphires on it in his hand. Was this really what she thought it was? A courtship bead?  
"Will you allow me to put this in your hair, to let everyone see that I made you a promise to forever be by your side?" He had a hopeful look in his face, but his eyes displayed a streak of uncertainness. Did he really think that she would reject him? After what they had done yesterday? She sat up and moved towards him, so happy that she didn't know how to keep herself calm and give him an answer. She took a deep breath, and then another, feeling her heartbeats slowing down a bit before giving him the only answer she had for his question.  
"Yes, Thorin, I would love to wear your bead." Ecstatic she saw him relax, and the big smile that grew on his lips reached his eyes, making them shine bright with love and affection.  
He took a strand of her hair and started to braid it, placing the bead at the end.  
She gently picked it up and let it roll between her fingers, looking at the intricate patterns. It was beautiful, and the reason for it being there made it even more so.  
Giggling she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him, showing him how elated and joyful he made her feel at this moment. After a while he let go of her lips, laying his forehead against hers with a sigh, his arms around her waist still holding her close.  
"As much as I would like to stay here all day, I can't. I have things to take care of, see if anything requires my attention after the trip to Rivnadahl," he said. She looked up at him, even if he still looked happy she could see that the last thing he wanted was to handle his kingly responsibilities. "And I'll have to go over the peace treaty with my counselors too, to see if I have missed something. I don't think so, but with the distraction I had I might have overlooked some parts." He smiled, placed a kiss on her nose and winked to her. "You are free to come with me if you like, no one will dare to say or do anything about it."  
She let go of him, leaned back a bit and crossed her arms.  
"And what would you like me to wear? The torn up dress from yesterday?" With a naughty glint in her eyes she looked at him and continued, "or maybe I'll just take one of these furs to cover my naked body, they are easy for you to take off if the need comes." She slowly stroked the soft hairs of the gray wolf skin she was sitting on, seeing him wrinkling his forehead, a possessive and dark look in his eyes as they wander over her naked form, making her heart beat faster and her need for him to flare up.  
How did he do that?  
Effecting her like this just by looking at her in a certain way?  
"Right, that's a bit of an issue, isn't it? Not that I wouldn't appreciate the sight of you only clad in fur, but to let others have the same opportunity is nothing I would ever allow. But don't you worry, I'll take care of it. Just wait here, make yourself at home." He let go of her and gave her a quick kiss before making his way towards the edge of the bed. But she had other plans. She wasn't ready to let him leave just yet, and her rising arousal made her more courageous.  
She jumped at him and pushed him back into bed, straddling his hips, holding down his hands with her own.  
"Not so fast, my King." It sounded so good to say it out loud, for that was exactly what he was - her King. "I demand a proper kiss." Smiling she looked down at him lying there with an expectant look in his face, his hair spread out on the furs like a halo, his eyes almost the color of sapphires. The pleasant shivers that traveled along her spine all the way down to her core multiplied, and that drunken feeling from yesterday returned.  
The image in front of her, the mighty warlord, Thorin the Deathless, totally at her mercy, waiting for her to make her move, was breathtaking to say the least.  
"What are you waiting for, my almighty Queen to be," he said with a tantalizing voice. "Come and take it, I'm not stopping you." The mischievous glint in his eyes, together with his words, made her snap out of the mesmerized state she was in and continue on with what she intended to do at the beginning.  
"You talk too much, my good looking warrior." She place feather light kisses along his upper lip, feeling the rough beard scratching her; continuing down to the lower lip to tenderly suck on the soft flesh. Then she let her tongue slowly follow the form of his mouth, feeling his breaths against the skin of her lower face. As she let the tip of her tongue slide across the inner rim she was met by Thorin's assertive one, making her tremble when they twisted and turned around each other. She didn't want to let him go, she needed him again, already wet and ready just by being close to him, kissing him, hearing him speak in that deep velvety voice. And he wanted her too, his member hard and throbbing between her thighs.  
But did she dare to do it? Take control of this, her second time with Thorin? She wanted to, but would he interfere and not let her do this? She hoped not, and taking his relaxed state under her right now into consideration she was ready to take the chance.  
In one smooth movement, before she had the time to change her mind and Thorin to react, she lifted her pelvis and sank down over his erection, her breaths quickening as she slowly took in more and more of him. She was a little surprised when there was no pain at all, just the wonderful feeling of being stretched and filled that was so arousing that she could easily ignore the slight soreness his size caused. How could this time feel so different? Yesterday was not at all like this in the beginning, this sensation of pure heavenly bliss just from taking inch by inch of him was divine, to say the least, and she moaned when he was all the way inside her.  
She heard Thorin groaning when she gently started to move up and down his shaft, nibbling at her lips before he growled, sounding a little displeased.  
"So this was what you wanted, my little minx, to see how it felt to be the one in charge? Not that I'm complaining about having you again, but this it's not usually how I want it to be. I'll let you have your fun this time but don't expect it too often."  
To hear that he wasn't to comfortable to be in a submissive position made her even more on fire, knowing that he was allowing her to continue even if he could have changed it to his advantage in the blink of an eye.  
She quickened the pace and felt him thrusting hard upwards when she was moving downwards, meeting her every time in perfect sync, hitting a spot inside of her that made her core tightening more for every second. Soon she felt the tension erupt and her whole body started to shake and twitch uncontrollably. Her vision was slowly fading to black when she was dissolved into pleasure.  
Completely out breath, still feeling the pulsations ripping through her, she collapsed on Thorin. She didn't protest when he turned her around so he was on top, she was still high up in the clouds of ecstasy, floating around, enjoying another moment of pure satisfaction. He began to thrust violently into her until he released his load deep inside with a moan, before rolling over so that she once again was over him.  
She put her head down on his chest, inside his heart was beating in a rapid pace.  
His scent mixed with the smell of his sweat was one of the most wonderful things she had ever experienced. The fragrance was making her feel at home, nestling itself into her senses, clinging to them like wet fabric against skin, becoming part of her so she would never forget.  
"Satisfied now, my love?" His deep voice rumbled against her ear, and she let out a sigh.  
"Very much so," she said and rolled over, ending up on her back right next to him. He turned towards her and once again placed his head on his bent arm.  
"So I'm free to go and get dressed and find a solution to your clothing problem?" She felt his finger on the sticky sweaty skin on her stomach, moving upwards, stopping just under her breasts before it turned downwards again. Goosebumps started to form and it tingled inside of her, and even if she was a little sore again down there the sensation made her think about pulling him close to repeat what they had just done.  
"Yes, I don't want to stay here all day, waiting for you." Even if she would have managed fine on her own for awhile, she wanted to be near him. He was like a drug to her, something she could not live without. It must be the power of meeting your one and connect on every level possible, she thought. "If you want me to, that is?"  
"If I want it? My Nenya, you are free to choose for yourself. Please don't feel like you are stalking me, because I'd rather have you beside me." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, before he reluctantly got out of the bed with a sigh.

Nenya spread out her arms and legs over the bed and closed her eyes, Thorin's scent still present; mixed with the smell of their lovemaking; the hairs of the soft furs under her; the duvet and mattress underneath hugging her forms; everything felt like she was living in a dreamworld, or had she somehow died and gone to heaven? No, she didn't think so, everything still seemed real around her, and even if it wasn't real she could stay like this for ever!  
She heard the crackling sound of the fire; Thorin moving around in the room; the sound of fabric when he put clothes on.  
As the bed slightly shifted she opened her eyes, seeing him sitting on the edge of it fully dressed.  
He was wearing a blue tunic in a darker shade than the one he had yesterday, and it also had some silver embroidery around the neck and lower rim. Over it he had a waistcoat with fur around the edges. His dark hair, that laid over the shoulders, was mixed with the brown-gray pelt underneath; a belt with the royal crest on around his waist; and a pair of black pants covered his legs.  
Even without a crown on his head he looked like the King he was. It was something about the way he carried himself, making him have a regal air around him, and at the same time showing his strength and power. Something that he almost certainly used to his advantage on the battlefield, striking so much terror into the opposing men that most of them didn't dare to take him on one-on-one.  
"I will ask one of the servants to help you with clothes and then show you the way when you are ready. See you soon, my love." Thorin gave her another kiss before he left the room.

Nenya snuggled under the duvet, laid her head on a pillow and closed her eyes again. She was a bit cold now that Thorin's warm body wasn't beside her. A few moments later she had fallen asleep - lulled by the crackling sound from the fire.


	11. Chapter 11

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 _Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but I had some problems with how the story was progressing.  
But after a nice long chat about the plot with my wonderful friend Katya Kolmakov, I'm back on track again!  
I hope you'll enjoy the continuation!_

* * *

Nenya was awakened by a light knock on the door.  
How long had she slept? It was impossible for her to know since there were no windows in the bedroom, and she couldn't even remember how big the fire in the hearth was when she fell asleep. Yawning she stretched her arms over her head. It felt like she had only closed her eyes for a minute, but hours could have passed by as well. She reached over towards Thorin's side of the bed, not finding what she searched for, sighing when she remembered that he left earlier.  
The light tapping on the door continued, it must be the servant Thorin said he would send to help her. She covered her naked body tightly with the duvet before telling the one outside to come in.  
The door opened, and a girl in Nenya's age stepped inside. After a quick curtsey, with her face towards the floor, the girl started to talk in a low trembling tone, "My lady, I'm here to help you get dressed."  
The girl looked familiar to Nenya. The black hair that was visible around the tightly tied shawl on the girl's head made Nenya sure. It was her best friend Mira that stood at the door. Nenya would have recognized her best friend even if it should have been years since they last saw each other.  
Not even Thorin could have made Nenya feel better than she did right now, when Mira stood in front of her by the door. The extreme happiness she experienced was even greater than the one she felt when she spotted Thorin in the dining area in Rivnadahl.  
She jumped out of bed, and walked towards Mira.  
"Mira? Is it really you?" Mira raised her head and stared at Nenya with widened brown eyes and her mouth slightly open.  
With a shout of joy Nenya hugged Mira around the neck. Mira didn't return the gesture. She just stood there with her arms hanging at the sides of her body, clearly shocked. Nenya was ecstatic, and she wondered if Thorin had had anything to do with this. She had, after all, told him about her lost friend.  
"Nenya? What are you doing in the King's chambers?" Mira said while she slowly hugged Nenya back.  
"I'll tell you soon, just let me enjoy having you here with me again," Nenya answered.

When they had finished embracing Nenya took Mira's hand and led her to the bed."Do you remember the dream I told you about a few years ago?" Nenya said. Mira nodded. "The man in it was Thorin." Nenya saw his face in front of her and smiled at the image. Without thinking about it she started to play with the bead he had given her earlier. The metal was cold against her fingers, and she thought back at the moment he had put it into her hair.  
"What? Really?" Mira interrupted Nenya's thoughts and brought her back to reality again."Yes, it's hard to believe, isn't it?" Nenya said and let go of the bead.  
She continued to tell Mira about the escape from Dorami; how she had met Thorin and instantly fell in love; why she left him and her journey to Rivnadahl; and finally how happy she'd been when she'd seen him again in Rivnadahl.  
"Now you have heard my story, let me know yours. How is it possible for you to still be here? I thought that everyone, including the servants, was banished or killed?"  
"No, not all of us. They needed people to take care of things before they could bring their own here. So they selected the ones that could be helpful, I was 'lucky' to be one of them." Mira looked unhappy at the memory. "Me and my family were allowed to stay in our quarters and serve the new King - but at that moment I would rather have left. I was terrified at the thought of working for him, but I didn't have a choice. When they had picked us out we were not allowed to do anything except what we were ordered to do, and guards followed our every step to make sure that we obeyed. And although I only heard rumors of it I was almost certain, had we tried to leave they would have killed us." Mira's voice was sad, and she sat with her shoulders hunched, looking down at her hands. They shook a bit and she was wringing her fingers. Nenya placed her hand on top of them and squeezed lightly, trying to comfort Mira, and let her know that she wasn't alone anymore.  
"I hope that you know now that that is not going to happen, not as long as I am here with Thorin." Mira looked up at Nenya and smiled. But the smile didn't reach her eyes and Nenya knew that it would take time for Mira to get over her fears towards Thorin.  
"Yes, I realize that now. But earlier today, when I was ordered to come to the King's chambers to help the future Queen to get dressed, I hoped with all my heart that the King would not be there. I am still afraid of him, even though he has never done anything to me personally. It's the aura around him that scares me the most, the all 'big and powerful man' thing, but since he's the King it's best to stay on his good side and don't make mistakes," Mira answered, the corners of her mouth twitching a bit as if she couldn't decide on what to do - cry or laugh. "But I would not in my wildest dreams think that I would find you here, Nenya. I thought that you were far away from here, or maybe even dead."  
"I could have been dead. The soldiers came to our home to get rid of us, but my father begged on his knees for mercy. He and the general in charge made some kind of a deal, but I was too scared to even apprehend what they talked about. I put two and two together later when the same man came to claim my hand in marriage - lord Dorami. But we don't have to worry about him anymore; Thorin threw him out yesterday with a death sentence if he came back."  
"So that was what everyone was gossiping about in the kitchen," Mira blurted out. "None of us saw it, but we heard that it was a big commotion in the courtyard when the King came back from Rivnadahl, and a high positioned counselor was banished." Mira looked overwhelmed when she realized that it all fitted together.  
"Yes, that was Dorami's wave goodbye. I thought Thorin acted a little too rash, but I'm glad that he didn't let Dorami stay. There is something not right with that man, but I can't put my finger on it."  
"I don't know who he is, but for your sake I'm glad too that he isn't still in Ereiabor," Mira said and gave Nenya a small smile. Her face was now calm and her hands laid still in her lap.  
"You haven't missed anything by not knowing him. I only hope that I never see him again. But now I want to get dressed and go see Thorin." She missed him so much now that not even Mira's presence was enough anymore. And knowing that he might feel the same made her even more eager to get ready. "We have just been apart for a few hours, and it feels like it was an eternity since I had him here beside me. I want him to meet you, and for you to see that he isn't as bad as you think." Nenya rose from the bed. She let the duvet fall on the floor as she walked towards the bathroom. Or walked was an understatement, it was more like a running dance as she happily twirled and jumped around to get there as soon as possible.  
"Slow down! I don't think he is going to disappear if it takes a few more minutes for you to get there!" Mira laughingly said when she caught up with Nenya outside the bathroom.  
"I know, but I can't help it! It's like something is constantly pushing me to find him and be close to him when he isn't beside me. I have never felt such a strong attraction towards anyone before! When he is beside me everything is, well, perfect. Like two pieces that were destined to be together, I can't describe it in any other way." Nenya let out a small sigh when she thought about him, her soulmate, and a silly smile appeared on her lips.

When they stepped inside the bathroom Nenya saw flashes of the things that had happened last night - his blue eyes darkened with desire; holding her against the rim of the tub while his hand trailed downwards; him kissing her with such force that the room spun. She had to blink a few times to come back to reality again, but she could still perceive the feeling of his hands moving over her body as she walked over to the basin, her whole body reacting to the memories. She splashed cold water on her face in an attempt to cool down the growing fire inside.  
"Are those scratch marks on your back? What happened?" Mira asked curiously as she held out a towel for Nenya.  
"Well, the edges of the bathtub are a little rough if someone pushes you against them," Nenya answered in a low tone. She turned away; her cheeks felt a little hotter as a light blush started to spread across them.  
"Why would anyone push you against the edges of the ba… Oh! So you and… here?" Nenya's face turned even warmer. She splashed some more water over her warm face. The two friends had never talked about that certain act before. Love they had discussed endless times, but physical love was something that a nice young lady wasn't supposed to talk about. Not even with her best friend.  
"Um, no, but..." Nenya began.  
"So you two never crossed the line?" Mira interrupted, just as Nenya was about to say that she'd rather not talk about that now. Nenya thought that it might have been better to put on a robe or something so Mira hadn't discovered the marks. And now Nenya didn't know whether or not she should say that they had done it or not. She didn't want to lie to Mira.  
"Well, not in here anyway…" Nenya said, barely audibly. She looked pleadingly at Mira. "Can we please not talk about it?"  
Mira must have understood immediately how Nenya felt when she looked at her. "I'm sorry… I was just curious… Let's leave that subject and get you dressed instead. I'll go and find something suitable while you freshen up, is that alright?" Nenya nodded and took the towel Mira handed her.  
While Mira walked out of the bathroom Nenya put the soft towel over her face.  
Usually they could talk about anything, but this was so new to Nenya that she needed time to process it before telling Mira more about it.

When Nenya stepped out of the bathroom she saw Mira next to the sofa, digging through a pile of dresses in different colors that laid there.  
"I think that this one will suit you the best." She held up a green, long-sleeved velvet dress, the color matching Nenya's eyes; the embroidery that covered the end of the sleeves and the bottom of the dress was exquisite, looking like golden flames in different sizes.  
"And it has a high neckline so you don't show too much cleavage, just in case a certain someone doesn't appreciate that everyone can see your assets," Mira stated while she brushed out a few wrinkles in the fabric.  
"If I didn't know it first hand, then I might have guessed that you actually know him!" Nenya wasn't able to stop the small laughter that bubbled up inside her from slipping out, resulting in a snorting sound that made them both laugh.  
Then Nenya remembered the possessive look in Thorin's eyes earlier. He didn't want anyone to see what was for his eyes only, and the joke wasn't funny to her anymore. Mira moved over to Nenya and laid a hand on her shoulder.  
"I know how men can be, Nenya, and I don't think he is so much different from others in this case. Let's get you dressed now," Mira said and led Nenya over to the couch.

The fabric was soft against Nenya's skin, and not too heavy, reminding her of the dresses she had worn when she lived with her father. The outfits that Dorami had wanted her to wear were a torment, lots of lace that itched, and corsets that were so tight that it was almost impossible to breathe - just to show off her curves.  
Mira brushed Nenya's hair, holding the braid with Thorin's bead out of the way to not ruin it. She stopped when the locks shone and flowed like a waterfall of gold from Nenya's head down to just below her buttocks.  
Nenya put her feet into the shoes she had kicked off in a hurry last night, since they were the only ones she had, knowing that the dress would cover the worn state they were in. Mira opened the door for Nenya and side by side they started walking towards the council room.

They talked some more on the way about what had happened during their months apart, both of them trying to answer the other person's questions and ask their own, and soon they stood outside the double doors of their destination.  
Nenya could hear a mumbling of voices from the inside and got nervous. She had no idea who she would find behind the door, except for Thorin, and she didn't want to make a bad first impression on some of the highly ranked persons that probably was in the room. But she wasn't alone; this would be even harder to do without Mira by her side.  
Nenya collected what little bravery she could muster at the moment, moved towards the door, took a deep breath and opened it, stepping inside with her head held high.

She recognized some of the men around the table. They were the ones that she and Thorin had shared camp with on the way back from Rivnadahl.  
They smiled and nodded their heads at her as she went past them, and she greeted them the same way.  
There were a group of four finely dressed men further down the table, everyone of them followed her with their eyes as she passed by. They showed very little emotions, just giving her hard glares that made Nenya feel a little uncomfortable. They could easily have been mistaken for four stone figures if they had had gray clothes and gray paint on their skin. She had never seen them before, and when she nodded her head to greet them they didn't even blink an eye back.  
Nenya turned her eyes away from them, not wanting them to make her feel like she didn't belong there, and looked towards the far end of the table.  
Thorin was sitting there, in a big chair leaning his forehead in his hand. When she got closer she knew that something was wrong, his grip around the armrest was so tight that his knuckles had gone white - he was obviously trying to maintain control of his temper.  
She kneeled beside the chair, to be able to look up into his face and to hide a bit.  
Was it something she had done?  
She heard him let out a sigh before he opened his eyes.  
"We have a big problem, and a smaller one. The small one is that there have been rumors that Dorami never left yesterday, and that he is determined to get you back." He turned towards her; his eyes shone with anger. "He will not even get a chance to get close to you, I promise you that! I have already sent out men to search for him, but I doubt they will find him. He is sly as a fox when he needs to be, one of the traits that had been very useful in the past. And he can disappear whenever he needs to." He pushed the chair back and took her hands in his.  
"But he will probably make a mistake at some point and we can catch him then, and right now he is a tiny problem - if you compare it to a dragon… For the first time in all my life I don't know what to do to protect my kingdom! It makes me feel so helpless, and that angers me more than anything else!"  
"A dragon? But aren't they extinct?" Nenya asked.  
"I thought so too, until I heard of the big, black beast that attacked Rivnadahl right after we left." Thorin lifted one of her hands and put it against his cheek, placing a kiss on her wrist. "There is nothing but dust and stone left of that city now…"  
"Where is it now? Does anybody know?" What could they do if the dragon decided to come to Ereiabor? Nenya didn't know either. But oddly enough she somehow knew that it was going to be alright as long as she was beside Thorin.  
She was afraid, but still she wasn't.  
She raised her other hand, stroke it over his soft hair and looked into his eyes.  
"It will be alright. I can't tell you why, I just know it will be."  
After the last words she placed a kiss on his lips, and another one, followed by two more, feeling Thorin meet her movements and kiss her back every time. As their mouths parted they leaned their foreheads together, enjoying the closeness.


End file.
